{{mi| {{Expand Italian|date=March 2026}} {{Expand Polish|date=March 2026}} {{refimprove|date=April 2026}} }} The '''parish family book''' ({{langx|la|Status animarum}}, meaning "State of Souls") is a register of people living in a parish and of events related to them. It is particularly characteristic of the Roman Catholic Church. The parish family books were prescribed in the ''Rituale Romanum'' published in 1614 by Pope Paul V.
At first, they only contained data about sacraments received, religious knowledge, and religious affiliation. In the 18th century other data were added such as house numbers and ages. The parish family books were maintained by parish priests. They were most precise in villages because the population was more stable there than in cities.
A parish book can be a useful primary source for religious historians, art historians, sociologists, and other scholars.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/artist/matthias-also-called-stomer-stom/5efddcc7-b110-4de7-a343-2d8b009f16cf|website=Museo National del Prado |title=Matthias (also called Stomer) Stom|lang=English|access-date=22 April 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/26902298|title=Rural Society at the Time of the Cholera Outbreak|first=Gábor|last= Koloh|journal=Spatial and Urban Patterns |volume=8|number=1|year=2019|pages=5-27|lang=English|access-date=22 April 2026}}</ref>
Some parishes still require producing a parish book for the Sacrament of Marriage.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://holyghostchurch.in/wedding-mass/|website=Holy Ghost Church (R.C.), India|title=Wedding Mass|access-date=22 April 2026}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Catholic-Church-stub}} * Category:Civil registration and vital statistics