Common Phrases

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Common Phrases Used in Parish Records

Reading old parish records can be much easier when one understands and becomes familiar with the format of those records. Most christening, marriage, and burial records written after the Council of Trent follow the same pattern and include basically the same phrases. The following is a list of commonly used phrases found in old christening, marriage, and burial records.

General
Spanish Phrase	Meaning
ídem, iden, eadem, ejusdem	same, of the same
dicho, susodicho	the said
infrascrito, infraescrito, infraescripto	undersigned
ut supra (Latin)	as above, as stated above (usually refers to the date)

Date
Spanish Phrase	Meaning
A diez días del corriente mes y año…	On ten days of the current month and year…
En quince días del mes de septiembre del corriente año…	On fifteen days of the month of September of the current year…
En veinte y seis días del mes de julio próximo pasado...	On twenty and six days of the past month of July...
...que murió el veinticinco del mismo...	...that died on the twenty-fifth of the same...

Place
Spanish Phrase	Meaning
En esta villa del Rosario…	In this town of Rosario…
En este departamento del Diamante…	In this district of Diamante…
En esta (iglesia) parroquial de San Cipriano…	In this parish (church) of San Cipriano...
En la iglesia de…	In the church of…
En la feligresía de…	In the parish of…
En la doctrina de…	In the curacy/parish of…
En la curato de…	In the curacy/parish of…
En la vicaría de…	In the vicariate of…
…vecinos de la parroquia de María Magdalena en el lugar de Cué, concejo de Llanes…	…residents of the parish of María Magdalena in the place of Cué, municipality of Llanes…
…todos naturales y vecinos de este departamento…	…(being) all natives and residents of this district…
…natural de dicho concejo y vecino de esta…	…native of the said municipality and resident of this (parish/town)...

Authority
Spanish Phrase	Meaning
el cura	the parish priest
el licenciado	the licentiate
el párroco	the parson, the parish priest
el teniente	the deputy
el bachiller	the bachelor (This term refers to the person's academic degree, not his marital status)
el vicario	the vicar
fray	friar or brother
el presbítero	the priest
el reverendo padre	the reverend father
encargado	in charge
con licencia de	with permission of
con mi licencia	with my permission
ex licentia parochi (Latin)	by license of the parish priest
cum venia parochi (Latin)	with permission of the parish priest
haciendo oficio de	performing the office of
juez eclesiástico	ecclesiastical judge
de este lugar y su partido	of this place and its district
de esta parroquial y su hijuela	of this parish (church) and its dependent (church)

Relationships/Legitimacy
Spanish Phrase	Meaning
viudo (que fue) de	widower of
viuda (que fue) de	widow of
esposo que fue de	who was the husband of…
mujer que fue de	who was the wife of…
hijo legítimo	legitimate son
hijo natural	natural-born son
hijo ilegítimo	illegitimate son
hijo bastardo	illegitimate son of known father
hijo espurio	illegitimate son of unknown father
hijo adulterino	illegitimate son
hijo expuesto	abandoned child
hijo expósito	abandoned child
hijo de la iglesia	abandoned child
hijo de padres no conocidos	son of unknown parents
hijo de padre no conocido	son of unknown father

Witnesses/Godparents
Spanish Phrase	Meaning
siendo testigos...	being witnesses...
fueron testigos (presenciales)...	the (present/eye) witnesses were...
Fueron (sus) padrinos…	The godparents were…
sostuvieron al niño	the child was held by… (godparents were…)
tuvo/tuvieron al niño	the child was held by… (the godfather/godparents was/were…)

Certification
Spanish Phrase	Meaning
Y por ser verdad lo firmo.	In witness thereof, I sign it.
Para que conste lo firmé con el expresado señor cura.	In witness thereof, I signed it with the said parish priest.
Para constancia lo firmo.	To certify it, I sign it.
En constancia lo firmé.	In witness thereof, I signed it.

Christening
Spanish Phrase	Meaning
hice los exorcismos	I baptized (I exorcised)
hizo los exorcismos	He baptized (He exorcised)
exorcicé a	I baptized (I exorcised)
bauticé solemnemente a	I solemnly baptized
puse los santos óleos y el sagrado crisma a	I put the holy oil and the sacred chrism to
bauticé sub conditione (Latin)	I baptized conditionally
bauticé condicionalmente	I baptized conditionally
puse por nombre…	I named …

Warning (Christening)
Spanish Phrase	Meaning
a quienes advertí	whom I advised (of)
a quienes dije	whom I told
a quienes hice saber	whom I informed (of)
a quienes instruí sobre	whom I instructed concerning
el parentesco espiritual	the spiritual relationship
sus obligaciones de enseñarle la doctrina cristiana	their obligation(s) to teach him or her the Christian doctrine
y demás obligaciones contraídas	and other contracted obligations
que contraían	that they contracted
que contrajeron	that they contracted
que han contraído	that they have contracted

Marriage
Spanish Phrase	Meaning
habiendo corrido todas las diligencias conciliares	having taken care of all the conciliar measures
habiendo precedido todo lo dispuesto por el Santo Concilio de Trento	having preceded everything required by the Holy Council of Trent
habiendo precedido todo lo que manda el Santo Concilio Tridentino	having preceded everything required by the Holy Council of Trent
previas las disposiciones conciliares	foregoing the conciliar arrangements
conforme al Concilio de Trento	consistent with the Council of Trent
según manda el Concilio de Trento	as ordered by the Council of Trent
amonesté en tres días festivos	I published (banns) on three holy days
habiéndose amonestado en tres días festivos	having published (banns) on three holy days
después de leídas las tres conciliares proclamas	after reading the three conciliar banns
inter missarum solemnia (Latin)	in solemn mass
sin haber resultado ningún impedimento	without any impediment (to marriage) resulting
y no habiendo resultado impedimento alguno	and no impediment (to marriage) having resulted
no resultó ningún impedimento	no impediment (to marriage) resulted
no resultando impedimento alguno	no impediment (to marriage) resulting
confesados	(having) confessed
dispuestos sacramentalmente	sacramentally disposed
se dispusieron sacramentalmente	sacramentally disposed
examinados en la doctrina cristiana	examined in Christian doctrine
instruidos en la doctrina cristiana	instructed in Christian doctrine
estando hábiles en doctrina cristiana	being able in Christian doctrine
de los pretendientes	of the candidates
di las manos (a)	I married
desposé (a)	I married
casé y velé (a)	I married and veiled (=blessed)
in facie ecclesiae (Latin)	in the presence of the congregation
por palabras de presente	using words in present tense (performing an actual marriage as opposed to a promise to marry)
según el Ritual Romano	according to Rituale Romanum (a book prescribing the form of Catholic ceremonies)
según orden de nuestra Santa Madre iglesia	according to the order of our Holy Mother Church
que constituyen el verdadero y legítimo matrimonio	that constitute true and legitimate marriage
que hacen verdadero y legítimo matrimonio	that constitute true and legitimate marriage
asistí al matrimonio de	I was present at the marriage of
asistió al matrimonio de	he was present at the marriage of
con el mutuo consentimiento	with the mutual consent
con su mutuo consentimiento	with their mutual consent
oídos sus mutuos consentimientos	(having) heard their mutual consent

Burial
Spanish Phrase	Meaning
di sepultura a	I buried
enterré a	I buried
fue sepultado el cadáver de	the body of ... was buried
misa de cuerpo presente	a mass said while the corpse of the deceased is present in the church
recibió los sacramentos de eucaristía, penitencia y extremaunción	he/she received the sacraments of Eucharist, penitence and extreme unction
mandó enterrarse en la iglesia parroquial	he/she requested to be buried in the parish church
mandó seis misas por su ánima	he/she requested six masses for his soul
no dejó testamento	he/she did not leave a will
no testó	he/she did not leave a will
no testó por ser pobre de solemnidad	he/she did not leave a will because of his/her destitute condition/extreme poverty
dejó testamento ante el escribano…	left his/her last will and testament before the notary…
nombró como su albacea a	named … as his/her executor
nombró como único y universal heredero a…	named … as sole and universal heir

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