FamilySearch / FamilyTree Lesson #7 Submitting Names for Temple Ordinances

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1 FamilySearch / FamilyTree Lesson #7 Submitting Names for Temple Ordinances... And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work. Behold, thousands of them do rejoice, and have been brought into the fold of God. Alma 26: 3-4 Clearing Ordinances for Families and Individuals using FamilyTree One of the main purposes for the development of FamilyTree has been to simplify the process of clearing names for temple ordinances. When you add a new individual to FamilyTree, the system can determine if there is enough information about that person to qualify them for temple ordinances. It can also alert you when a member of a family already on your pedigree might need to have ordinances completed. Using FamilyTree, you can reserve temple ordinances for your ancestors and print a Family Ordinance Request to take to the temple. If you reserve ordinances that you wish to perform, no one else will be able to clear those ordinances. FamilyTree also helps prevent the duplication of ordinances, because it contains the most recent information concerning which ordinances have been performed. As soon as an ordinance is completed, the information is listed on FamilyTree. To access FamilyTree go to FamilySearch.org, sign in using your LDS Account and click on the FamilyTree link. Persons for Whom We Can Do Temple Work As discussed in Lesson #6, the persons for whom we can do temple work are as follows: 1. Our primary responsibility is to submit the names of our direct-line ancestors (those who appear on our pedigree chart) and their immediate families. We may follow birth lines, adoptive lines, foster lines, or all of the above. 2. We can submit the names of other relatives, that is, persons with whom we have a family relationship or share a common ancestor. President Packer has stated that we may do family history research and temple work for our deceased relatives who are collaterally related. These individuals are often referred to as our cousins. 3. President Packer has also stated that we can submit names for persons...when a family relationship is probable but cannot be verified because records are inadequate. In many cases this includes persons of the same surname as our ancestors who resided in the same small geographic area. Revised August

2 4. On a limited basis, we may submit the names of close personal friends when we have received written permission from their closest living relative. We are not allowed to submit the names of celebrities, historical figures, and other nonrelated persons, and should avoid personal extraction projects. We should not submit the names of Holocost victims unless we are direct descendants. (There are special rules regarding these names, even when we are directly related.) Special permission is required for submitting the names of persons who lived before the year 1500 A.D. Be aware that in submitting any names for temple work, (including those related along collateral lines) you must recognize the rights of privacy and precedence: When submitting the names of deceased persons who were born within the last 110 years, you must obtain written permission from the closest living relative, that is, in this order, a surviving undivorced spouse, a child, a parent or a sibling. (We should always be sensitive to the feelings of others. Even when 110 years have passed, we should try to be certain that there are no close living relatives who might want to perform the ordinances.) Requirements For Requesting Temple Ordinances To qualify names for temple ordinances using FamilyTree you must include four things: 1. A name; 2. The gender; 3. The date and location of at least one event in the person s life; and 4. Information that shows the person is dead. FamilyTree will determine if enough information has been added for ordinances to be reserved. 1. You must provide a name that is as correct and complete as possible. - Write the name in the order that it is spoken. - At a minimum, you must enter either a person s given name or a surname. - Enter a woman s maiden surname, not her married surname. If a wife s maiden surname is not known, she should be entered with only her given name. For example, Thelma is married to John Brown. Her maiden surname is not known; therefore, she should be entered only as Thelma, not Mrs Thelma Brown. - If, after careful research, you are unable to find either a wife s given name or her maiden surname, enter Mrs. in the Title Field, leave the Given Name Field blank, and enter only her husband s last name or family name in the Surname Field. This will allow all of the wife s temple ordinances (both individual ordinances and marriage sealing) to be completed. - If a person was known by a nickname, or by more than one name, enter the most correct version of the name in the Vital Information name fields. Then use Revised August

3 the Alternate Name fields found under Other Information for nicknames or additional variations of his name. (On the person s Details Page open Other Information, click on the Add link, select Alternate Name and choose from Also Known As, Married Name, Nick Name, etc.) Do not use parenthesis or the word OR to indicate nick names or name variations. - If a child s given name is not known, enter only the father s surname or the family name in the Surname Field. Do not use words such as infant, child, son, or daughter in the Given Name Field. Be sure that the gender is correctly entered as male or female. - If a person has a title or a suffix, enter it in the appropriate Name field in the order spoken. (Title examples are: Baron; Lady; Col.; Rev.; or Dr. Suffix examples are: Jr.; Sr.; or IV.) 2. You must provide the gender. If the gender isn t known, study the person s name and all available records to try and determine if the child has been named after a known relative or if the name is traditionally masculine or feminine. If the gender can t be determined, select Unknown for the gender. FamilyTree will not clear a deceased person for temple ordinances until the gender is known. (If the gender isn t known, it is no longer permissible to treat the person as a male.) Note: If a child died shortly after birth and the gender is not listed in the birth record, remember to look for a death record that might include the gender. 3. A person can be distinguished from other people by including specific information (i.e. a date and location) for at least one event in their life: their birth, christening, marriage, death or burial. - Dates, should be as complete and accurate as possible. If you know only a partial date, enter what you know. If possible, you should include at least a year. If you do not know an actual date you can estimate a date using the words about, before or after. Historical records, such as censuses, can often be used to calculate or establish an approximate date. - The location must include at least the name of a country. A place name should be recorded as it existed when the event occurred. Place names should be listed from the smallest to the largest geographic division. (For example: Town or City, County, State, Country.) Enter whatever information you know, even if it s only the country, but do not omit jurisdiction levels. (For example: Ogden, Weber, Utah, United States qualifies. Ogden, Utah, United States does not qualify because the county is omitted. Utah, United States or just United States would also be correct.) Do not use abbreviations. If the actual location of an event isn t known, try to enter at least the country, or leave the location field blank. (You are no longer allowed to use the word of before a place of residence to show an assumed location for a person s birth, marriage or death.) Revised August

4 - The date and location of only one event in an individual s life is required to qualify the person for temple ordinances. Although the dates and location of other events is not required, when they are available, you should always include them in the person s record. This helps to identify the person more clearly, and to avoid duplication of temple ordinances. 4. You must have information that shows the person is deceased. FamilyTree recognizes a person as being dead if any of the following can be found for the person: - A death date or a death place. - A burial date or a burial place. - A birth or christening date that occurred at least 110 years ago. - A marriage date (or a date for marriage banns, a marriage contract, a marriage bond, or a marriage license) that occurred more than 95 years ago. - A child born to the individual more than 95 years ago. Note: If you are certain that the person is deceased, you can estimate the date using the words: about, before or after. Viewing The Status of Temple Ordinances By clicking on the Request Ordinances Symbol (White Temple on a Green Background) on the Landscape Pedigree, you will be taken to the Request Ordinances Screen where you will see a summary of ordinances that may be requested for members of that family. Remember, the Request Ordinances Symbol shown on the pedigree with the names of a husband and wife applies to all members of their family as currently listed. You may also see the status of temple ordnances for any individual on the Pedigree (or of their children listed in the drop-down box) by clicking on their name to view their Summary Card. Alternately, go to the Details Page of either parent and scroll to their Family Members Section where you can click on the names of the individual family members listed there and view their Summary Cards, quickly reviewing the status of their ordinances. Hover over the ordinance boxes to view additional information such as when the ordinances were completed. The status of any individual s temple ordinances can also be viewed directly from their personal Details Page. Near the top of the page there is an Ordinances link (next to Details and Memories.) Click on the link to see detailed ordinance information for that person. Requesting Temple Ordinances As stated above, if you click on the Request Ordinances Symbol on the pedigree you will be taken to the Request Ordinances Screen for that family. As you view the Request Ordinances Screen, you may see a warning if FamilyTree has detected Possible Duplicate Records for any of the individual family members. You must review and resolve each of Revised August

5 these Possible Duplicates (by merging them or declaring them Not a Match) before continuing to reserve the ordinances. In fact, you will not be allowed to continue reserving ordinances for that individual until you have resolved all Possible Duplicate Records. If you are not certain that the record is a duplicate, it is best to declare it Not a Match. Note: When you attempt to clear a name for temple ordinances, the system will show only the most likely duplicates. It may not find all of the Duplicate Records. If you have reason to believe that a person s ordinances have already been done, it is best to search for and merge Duplicate Records before attempting to clear the name for ordinances. Recently, another warning has been added to the Request Ordinances Screen to indicate when there are Data Problems with an individual s information. These problems may include such things as a child being born before a parent, or a mother being too old or too young to bear children. As with Possible Duplicates, you must resolve these issues before continuing to reserve ordinances. Steps for Requesting Temple Ordinances: 1. Sign in at FamilySearch.org and click on the FamilyTree link. (You will not see temple ordinance information unless you are signed in using your LDS Account.) 2. On the Landscape Pedigree, look for the Request Ordinances Icon which indicates that for at least one member of the family, temple ordinances may need to be performed. 3. Click on the Request Ordinances Icon. 4. The Request Temple Ordinances screen will appear with a list of the family members whose ordinances may be reserved. If FamilyTree detects possible Duplicate Records for any of the family members you will see a warning. Review these records carefully and take appropriate action before continuing to reserve ordinances. You may also see a warning about existing Data Problems. If you see this warning do not proceed until you have resolved the problem. 5. From the Request Temple Ordinances screen you will be able to select the individuals for whom you would like to reserve temple ordinances by checking the box next to their names. Then click Continue. 6. The next screen will ask you to indicate that you have read and will comply with Church Policies. Please perform ordinances only for people to whom you are related. The only exception would be for a close friend whose closest living relative has given written permission for the ordinances to be performed. Click: I have read and will comply with Church Temple Ordinance Policy. 7. For individuals born within the last 110 years you will see the statement: Permission Required. You will be asked to indicate whether: (a.) You are the closest living relative; or (b.) You have obtained written permission from the Revised August

6 closest living relative. (You will need to provide contact information for that relative.) 8. Click Add to Temple Ordinances List. The system adds all of the ordinances that are not yet complete to your list of reserved temple ordinances. The ordinances are now reserved for you. From your Temple Ordinances List, you can print a Family Ordinance Request to take to the temple. The icon on the FamilyTree Pedigree will then show the ordinance status as Reserved. 9. To see your Temple Ordinance List click the Temple link found at the top of the screen with the FamilySearch links. You may also see the status of, and request ordinances for any individual by clicking on their name in the pedigree. A Summary Card will appear. Near the bottom of the card, temple ordinances are listed in boxes and colors are used to show the status of each ordinance. (Hover your cursor over the ordinance boxes for more information.) By clicking on the Person link found on the Summary Card, you will be taken to the person s Details Page. Near the top of the page there is a link to Ordinances (next to Details and Memories.) Click on the link to see detailed ordinance information, view the contact information of other FamilyTree users who have reserved ordinances for this person, or request any ordinances for that person that have not been previously completed or reserved. Note: If you have entered information about an ancestor into FamilyTree in anticipation of requesting temple ordinances, you should reserve those ordinances at that time. Once you have entered the information into the system, the name becomes available to all users of FamilyTree and if you wait to reserve the ordinances at a later date, others could reserve them ahead of you. Important Reminder: Please do not reserve and perform temple ordinances for individuals without carefully considering the facts. If there is a question as to whether or not ordinances could have been completed previously, please search for and merge Duplicate Records before attempting to reserve the ordinances. The system will not necessarily find all Duplicate Records. It is your responsibility to be reasonably certain that you are not repeating ordinances. (See further discussion below.) Even more important, do not request ordinances for anyone until you have carefully considered the available information about them and verified their existence and relationships, if possible, with historical records. There is still much incorrect information in FamilyTree. There may be people listed with the incorrect gender, with parents and spouses to whom they were never related, and even individuals who did not actually exist. You will be requesting sacred ordinances and sealing eternal family relationships. Please be as careful as possible to do this correctly! The system will alert you to obvious Data Problems but it is still your responsibility to be as certain as possible that the ordinances you request are for real people and correct relationships. Revised August

7 Whenever there are historical records available please take the time to verify existing information. Status of Temple Ordinances Wherever ordinances are listed in FamilyTree, (on a Summary Card, a person s Details Page, or your Temple Ordinance List) their status can be determined by the appearance and color of the ordinance boxes. Temple ordinances shown in FamilyTree may have the following statuses assigned to them:. Completed - Temple ordinances have been completed or the individual was born in the covenant.. Request - Enough information exists for an ordinance to be performed, and currently, there is no record of the ordinance in the person s record. You may request the ordinances. (Duplicate records may need to be merged to find the record of previously completed ordinances.). Request (Permission Required) - The individual was born less than 110 years ago and you must state that you are one of the closest living relatives or that you have their permission to perform the ordinances before requesting them. Waiting - The ordinance cannot be done until other required ordinances are completed, and the Family Ordinance Request or Temple Ordinance Cards for those ordinances have already been printed by you or by someone else, or the ordinances have been assigned to the temple. (For example, an endowment cannot be done until the baptism, confirmation and initiatory ordnances have been completed.). Shared - The ordinance has been cleared and shared with the temple, but the temple has not yet printed the ordinance card in preparation for completing it.. Shared Printed - The ordinance has been cleared and shared with the temple. The temple has printed the ordinance card in preparation for completing it.. Printed - You have reserved the ordinance and the Family Ordinance Request has been printed. The ordinance is not yet done. Other users will see this ordinance with the status of Waiting and Reserved By with your contact name listed.. Not Printed - You have reserved the ordinance, but the Family Ordinance Request has not yet been printed. Other users will see this ordinance with the status of Waiting and Reserved By with your contact name listed.. Not Ready - This ordinance cannot be done because the person has not been deceased for at least one year. Not Available - The ordinance information is not being made available to the public, usually for one of the following reasons: Privacy reasons prevent the ordinances from being displayed; The individual lived before 1500 A.D. and special permission is required because the ordinances are probably completed; Additional approval is required before the person s ordinances can be Revised August

8 performed (as for someone who died while excommunicated or who had their name removed from church records during their lifetime.). Not Needed - The individual died before the age of 8 or was stillborn. The only ordinance needed is Sealing to Parents.. Waiting and Reserved By - The ordinances have been reserved by others and their contact name is show. The Family Ordinance Request may or may not have been printed. Needs More Information - See Below. Note: The appearance of the Ordinance Box for records that have been Shared with Family & Friends will not change but will continue to appear on your Temple Ordinance List as Reserved. An Envelope Icon will appear instead of the Check Box to the left of the ancestor s name. When the Family Member or Friend accepts the ordinances, they will be removed from your list. To see examples of, and determine the meaning of the color and appearance used for ordinance boxes, go to your Temple Ordinance List and click on the Legend link above the Date Reserved column. Reasons for the Status Needs More Information The ordinance status Needs More Information indicates that an individual s record does not currently contain enough information, or that the information it contains needs to be corrected before ordinances can be performed. You can often make simple additions or corrections that will allow you to reserve the ordinances. The system indicates that an individual s ordinance status is Needs More Information for one or more of the following reasons: The individual s name contains invalid punctuation marks, numbers, or words that are not technically part of the name. (Parenthesis, slashes, words like or, daughter, son, etc. cannot be included in the name fields.) Parts of the name may be listed in the incorrect fields. (For example, initials cannot be included in the Surname field.). The individual s record lacks a valid event. A valid event must contain both a standardized date (which may be estimated) and a standardized place-name including at least the name of a country. (A place-name may not qualify as standardized because it lacks a country name, or other proper jurisdiction levels such as a city being listed without a county and state. Abbreviations such as U.S.A. cannot be used.) The individual s gender is listed as Unknown. It is no longer acceptable to assume a person without a known gender was a male. A couple s marriage event lacks a standardized date or standardized place-name. (Applicable to Sealing to Spouse or Sealing of Child to Parents.) Revised August

9 An individual is not linked to a spouse or parents, because the name of the spouse or parents is missing or invalid, or the records of the spouse or parents do not contain the required event information. In this case, the sealing ordinances will have the status Needs More Information. To determine exactly what information needs to be added or corrected before an ordinance can be performed, hover your cursor over the boxes showing the status of a person s ordinances. An explanation will appear. IMPORTANT REMINDERS: Ordinances Performed with Incorrect Information Minor errors in the information used when a person s ordinances were performed do not affect the validity of those ordinances. If an individual s birth date is wrong, his name is misspelled, or the location of his marriage is incorrect, ordinances are still valid. As long as you can recognize that the individual is your ancestor, and that the ordinances were intended to be for them, the ordinances do not need to be repeated. You should correct the inaccurate information displayed in your ancestor s record in FamilyTree. Ordinances Reserved or Performed by Others You may find that someone else has already performed or reserved ordinances that you would like to perform. If the ordinances have not yet been completed, it may be possible to contact the individual who has reserved the work and ask them to release the ordinances to you. If that is not possible, please honor the work which has been done or is being done by others. Do not add duplicate records into the system just so you can perform the ordinances. Duplication of ordinances, even if well meaning, should be avoided. Always Search for Possible Duplicate Records Remember, many of the names found in FamilyTree came from the IGI, LDS Church Membership Records, LDS Temple Records, the Church Extraction Program, the Ancestral File and the Pedigree Resource File. Because of this, your ancestors may have several duplicate records pertaining to them in the system. Even though most of the individuals currently found in FamilyTree have already had their temple ordinances performed, this may not always appear to be the case. Some ordinances may be attached to duplicate records that have not yet been merged. If you find possible duplicates that pertain to your ancestor, it is very important that you merge them, even if you disagree with some of the information they contain. When you look at possible duplicates, ask yourself, Are these records about the same individual? If they are, merge them, retaining what you believe is the most correct information. You can correct the information further after the records have been merged. Revised August

10 As mentioned previously, it is critical to remember than unless all duplicate records for an individual have been merged, it is possible that temple ordinances previously completed for that person are not currently shown in his file. When duplicate records containing additional ordinance information are merged, a record of the ordinances is restored to his file, and the status of the person s ordinances will change to Complete. As previously stated, when you attempt to clear a name for temple ordinances, FamilyTree will search for Possible Duplicate Records and alert you if they exist. The system, however, will show only the most likely duplicates. It may not find all of the duplicate records pertaining to that individual. If you have reason to believe that a person s ordinances should have already been done, it is best to search for and merge Duplicate Records before attempting to clear the name for ordinances. As discussed in Lesson #5, if you have used the Possible Duplicates link on the person s Details Page to search for Duplicate Records, and none have been found, you can also review the Not a Match list and conduct your own search for Duplicate Records. Completing Temple Ordinances When you have reserved ordinances for your ancestors, they will all be listed on your Temple Ordinance List. To access this list sign in at FamilySearch.org using your LDS Account. Click on the Temple link found at the top of the screen. You will see the names and ID Numbers of individuals for whom you have reserved temple ordinances. Under the Ordinances column, the ordinances needed for each individual will be listed as well as the status of each ordinance. (Click on the Legend link above the Date Reserved column to determine the meaning of the colors shown for the ordinances.) The Sealing column contains information about parents or spouses when sealing ordinances have been reserved. FamilySearch has recently enacted a time limit for reserved ordinances to be completed. Temple ordinance reservations, printed requests for ordinances, and printed temple cards are valid for 2 years from the date the ordinances were reserved. FamilySearch will begin to unreserve user temple reservations that have been inactive for more than two years. Reservations for an individual will only be unreserved if the most recent ordinance was completed more than two years ago. (So, reservations with progress more recent than two years ago will not be unreserved.) On the right side of the screen is a column showing the date you reserved the ordinances. Review the dates for the ordinances on your list. If you have reservations that have been inactive for more than two years, now is a good time to share them with family members via , or with the temple. If you would like to retain the ordinances on your Temple Ordinance List, they will have to be Unreserved, and then Reserved again. From your Temple Ordinance List you will be able to Print a Family Ordinance Request to take to the temple where Ordinance Cards will be printed. You can choose to Share Revised August

11 ordinances with Family or Friends or with the Temple (assigning them to the temple for completion.) You may also Unshare ordinances previously shared with the Temple, reassigning them to yourself. You can also Unreserve the ordinances, thus removing the ancestor and their ordinances from your reserved list. Along the top of the screen you will see five Categories/Links and the number of names contained in each category: All Reserved - A list of the names of all ancestors for whom you have reserved ordinances which have not yet been completed. From this list you can choose to Print an Ordinance Request, Share or Unreserve ordinances. Not Printed - The names of ancestors for whom you have reserved ordinances, but have not yet printed an Ordinance Request. From this list you can choose to Print an Ordinance Request, Share or Unreserve ordinances. Printed - A list of ancestors for whom you have printed an Ordinance Request and possibly Ordinance Cards. From this list you can choose to Reprint an Ordinance Request or Unreserve ordinances. Shared - A list of ancestors and their ordinances that you have shared with the Temple to be completed there. Until the Temple has printed ordinance cards for the ordinances, you can choose to Unshare or Unreserve ordinances. Note: To the left of each name in the list is a checkbox used to select the name. If a Temple Symbol is shown rather than the checkbox, it means that for that person, all remaining ordinances have been Shared with the temple and the temple has printed the ordinance cards. You cannot take any other action with these ordinances. Ordinances that have been shared with Family or Friends will remain on your Temple Ordinance List with an Envelope Icon displayed instead of the check box, until the person with whom you have shared them accepts the Invitation. The ordinances will then be removed from your list. (If the person does not accept the invitation within two weeks, the icon will disappear and the ordinances will again be available for you to complete or reassign. Opportunities - A list of ancestors from within your Scope of Interest (four generations back and then one generation forward) which may need to have temple ordinances completed. You can review the names by clicking on the View Person link. (This list is not comprehensive. It does not contain the names of all ancestors on your tree that may need temple ordinances. The list may also contain the names of ancestors born within the last 110 years, for whom you cannot reserve ordinances without first obtaining permission.) Printing a Family Ordinance Request When you are ready to perform temple ordinances, follow these steps: Revised August

12 1. Sign in to FamilySearch with your LDS Account. Click on the Temple link to view your Temple Ordinance List. 2. You will see a screen that lists the individuals for whom you have reserved temple ordinances. In the Name column you will see the name of the individuals and their Person Identifier Number. (If corrections in the person s Vital Information are needed you may click on the name to link to the person s Summary Card, and access his Details Page.) In the column entitled Ordinances, the temple ordinances list shows each ordinance that is available for the individual. The color shown indicates the status of each ordinance. (Click on the Legend link to review what the different colors mean.) 3. From the top of the list choose either All Reserved or Not Printed to see a list of individuals for whom you can print an Ordinance Request. (Ordinances shown in yellow have not yet been printed.) You can also select Printed if you need to reprint an Ordinance Request. Click the checkbox that is next to each individual for whom you want to print or reprint an Ordinance Request. You can select ordinances for about 50 individuals on one Family Ordinance Request. Select only the number of ordinances that you can complete in a reasonable amount of time. (See suggestions for sharing ordinances below.) 4. Click Print. You see a list of each person you have selected and their available ordinances. Select the ordinances for these individuals that you would like to do at this time. You can leave the check boxes unchecked for any ordinances you would like to do at a later date, and they will not be included on the Family Ordinance Request. Note: Leaving boxes unchecked does not remove the ordinances from your list of reserved temple ordinances. It does not reassign them to the temple. These ordinances will remain on your reserved list and you will be able to print an ordinance request at a later date when you are ready to complete the ordinances. Remember, ordinances must be completed in the correct order. You may not select and complete endowments, for instance, before baptism, confirmation and initiatory ordinances have been completed. 5. The system displays a message to explain what will happen. If an ordinance card has already been printed for an individual but was lost, the system reminds you to destroy the card if it is later found. 6. Click Print. Your Family Ordinance Request is printed. Please do not print a separate Family Ordinance Request for each individual whose ordinances you want to perform. Rather, select several names and ordinances before making the Print Request. 7. The system asks if your request printed correctly. If it printed correctly, click Yes. If not, click Retry. The system tries to print the request again 8. FamilyTree will change the status of these ordinances on your Temple Ordinance List to Printed. Revised August

13 9. Take the Family Ordinance Request to the temple. Temple workers will print the Ordinance Cards that you will use when you do the ordinances. Blue cards list Baptism, Confirmation, Initiatory, Endowment, and Sealing to Parents for males. Pink cards list the same ordinances for Females. Yellow or buff cards list the Sealing of Couples. As you do the ordinances, they are recorded in the temple and the information is sent back to the FamilyTree website. Note: In some cases, the check box may have been replaced with an icon indicating Ordinance List Alert (Triangle with Exclamation Point). This indicates that the name no longer qualifies for ordinances for one or more of the reasons discussed above under Needs More Information. You will need to go to the person s Details Page and make necessary additions or corrections. Others May Help You Complete Temple Ordinances After reserving ordinances for your ancestors, other Church members can help you complete those ordinances. Consider having others help you complete temple ordinances if your family line has more ancestors needing ordinances than you and your immediate family members can reasonably complete, or if you are not able to go to the temple yourself. Ordinances which remain inactive on your list for more than two years will automaticly be released as discussed above. Reassigning ordinances listed on your Temple Ordinance List to the temple - When ordinances are reassigned to the temple (Shared) the ordinance cards are printed in the temple, and given to temple patrons who do not bring their own family names to the temple. Once you have assigned ordinances to the temple, you can reassign the ordinances to yourself (using Unshare) until the temple begins the process of doing the ordinances. As the ordinances are completed and recorded, the ordinance dates appear on your Temple Ordinance List. The process of Sharing ordinances with the temple is different depending on whether or not an Ordinance Request has been printed. If an Ordnance Request has not been printed, and you wish to reassign ordinances you have reserved to the temple, click on the Not Printed link on your Temple Ordinance List and follow these steps: 1. Click on the check boxes next to the names of the individuals whose ordinances you would like to assign to the temple. 2. Click on the Share button near the top of the screen and select Share With Temple. 3. You will see a new screen listing each individual and the ordinances which need to be completed for them. Click on the check boxes next to the specific ordinances which you would like to assign to the temple. You may choose to assign all or only some of the person s ordinances to the temple. Ordinances Revised August

14 not assigned to the temple will remain on your Temple Ordinance List for you to complete at a later date. 4. Click on the Share button. The ordinances you have selected will be transferred to the Shared list. Note: Temple ordinances are performed in order. If you choose to assign Baptisms and Confirmations to the temple, you will not be able to proceed with the Initiatory or Endowment ordinances for those individuals until the Baptisms and Confirmations have been completed by the temple. When an Ordinance Request or Temple Ordinance Cards have been Printed, ordinances cannot be reassigned to the temple without first being Unreserved. From your Temple Ordinance List, click on the Printed link and follow these steps: 1.Select the names of individuals for whom you would like to reassign ordinances to the temple. Record the Person Identifier Numbers printed below the names. 2. Click on the check boxes next to the names you have selected. 3. Click on the Unreserve button located near the top of the screen. 4. You will see a new screen listing each individual and the ordinances which are available for them. Click on the ordinances that you would like to eventually reassign to the temple. (Be sure that you have recorded an ID Number for each individual.) Then click Unreserve. 5. The ordinances you have selected will be removed from your Temple Ordinance List and returned to the system where they will be available for anyone to reserve. 6. Return to FamilyTree. Using the Find feature in FamilyTree (look for the magnifying glass icon) search for the individuals you have selected using the ID Numbers you recorded. Click on the individual s name when it appears. 7. Once again, reserve the individual s ordinances as discussed earlier in the lesson. 8. The individual s name and ordinances will then be listed on your Temple Ordinance List under Not Printed. You may then reassign the ordinances to the temple as described in the previous paragraph. 9. If you have previously printed Ordinance Cards for these individuals, be sure to destroy the cards. If you have not printed cards, destroy the previously printed Family Ordinance Request. You would use this procedure if, after printing ordinance cards, you realize that you will not be able to complete the ordinance work yourself, but would still like to monitor the ordinances to be sure they are completed. If you simply Unreserve the ordinances and they are returned to the system, others may not find and reserve the work for some time. By again Reserving the ordinances, and then Sharing them with the Temple, they will remain on your Temple Ordinance List and you can be sure that the Temple Work is completed. Revised August

15 You can reassign ordinances from the temple back to yourself at any time before the temple begins the process of doing a specific ordinance. When an ordinance is first assigned to the temple, it is shown in orange. When the temple has printed an Ordinance Card for an ordinance, the color changes to brown. You may Unshare an ordinance or reassign it to yourself at any time until an Ordinance Card is printed by the temple. If a card has been printed for the Baptism, you may still reassign the remaining ordinances to yourself until those cards are printed in the temple. To Unshare ordinances that have been assigned to the temple, go to your Temple Ordinance List and follow these steps: 1. Click on the Shared link. 2. Click on the check boxes for the individuals whose ordinances you would like to reassign to yourself. 3. Click on Unshare. 4. A new screen will appear where individuals and their ordinances that have been assigned to the temple will be listed. Select the ordinances you would like to reassign to yourself. 5. Click on Unshare. The ordinances will now be listed on your Not Printed list. Sharing Ordinances with Family or Friends A new option recently added under the Share link allows you to Share Ordinances With Family or Friends. FamilySearch will share the ordinances with the Recipient you choose, using an address belonging to that person, who must also be registered for an LDS Account. Note that you must share all of the ordinances for an individual at one time. There is no provision to select only certain ordinances. Also Note that once you have shared the name and ordinances, they will appear on your Temple Ordinance List with an Envelope Icon where the check-box used to be, and you will no longer have access to those ordinances. They will appear on your List with the icon only until the person with whom you have shared them accepts your invitation. At that time the shared names and ordinances will be removed from your Ordinance List and you will no longer be able to monitor the progress of those ordinances. If the person to whom you sent the invitation does not respond in fourteen days, the icon will disappear and the ordinances will no longer be restricted. You will then be able to choose whether you would like to Reassign the ordinances to the temple or to someone else, Unreserve the ordinances, or complete them yourself. To Share Ordinances with Family or Friends click on the check-box next to the person(s) whose ordinances you would like to share. Click on Share and select Share with Family or Friends. You will see a new screen where you will be asked to enter the name and address of the Recipient and a short message if desired. You will also be reminded that when the Recipient accepts the shared names they will be removed from your Ordinance List and that once this action is taken it cannot be undone. Click Send or click Cancel. Revised August

16 Additional options for having others help you complete Temple Ordinances (1)Do not reserve the ordinances. Tell family and friends which people or families need ordinances, providing them with the Person ID Numbers for the individuals involved. Let your family members reserve and complete the ordinances themselves. (2) When you select ordinances for a Temple Ordinance Request to be printed, a PDF file is created and displayed. This PDF file can be ed to family members who do not live close to you. They can then print the Temple Ordinance Request themselves, and take it to a temple near their home to print the ordinance cards. The names will continue to appear on your Temple Ordinance list until the ordinances are completed. (3) You can also elect to share actual Ordinance Cards with other family, friends, or ward members. If you are planning to have ward or stake members complete the ordinances, most Temples are now requesting that you exchange the cards before entering the Temple. Once we are inside the Temple, we have been asked not to attempt to pass out cards to strangers, asking them complete the ordinances. Note: If you are planning to share a large number of Ordinance Cards with a ward group for Baptisms and Confirmations, consider printing a Temple Ordinance Request for only those ordinances, leaving the remaining ordinances on your Temple Ordinance List to complete at a later date or to assign to the temple. (See directions above for Printing Temple Ordinance Requests.) This eliminates the necessity of having all the cards returned to you after the Baptisms and Confirmations have been completed. (4) If you are unable to complete an individual s ordinances and do not want to reassign them to the Temple, you can remove the person from your Temple Ordinances List before any of the ordinances are done or even after some of the ordinances have been completed. If you remove the individual before all of the ordinances are done, the incomplete ordinances become available for other users of the system to reserve. To remove an individual from the list, simply go to your Temple Ordinances List and click on the Not Printed, Printed, or Shared link near the top of the screen. Select the names with ordinances you would like to unreserve and click on the Unreserve link. Then, select the ordinances you would like to unreserve for each individual and click Unreserve. The ordinances will be removed from your list. Destroy any Ordinance Requests or Ordinance Cards that have been printed. Monitoring the Completion of Ordinances When you assign ordinances to the temple, share a Temple Ordinance Request, or give cards to family and friends, you can use your Temple Ordinance List to monitor the completion of those ordinances. In the column labeled Ordinances the Temple Ordinance List shows each ordinance that is available for a person and its current status. When all ordinances have Revised August

17 been completed, the person s name will automaticly be removed from your Temple Ordinance List. If you elect to share an ID number, use the Share with Family and Friends option or Unreserve the ordinances, they will no longer appear on your Temple Ordinances List, and you will not be able to easily monitor the completion of temple ordinances for the individual. Temple Submissions - Possible Problems and Solutions The ordinance card contains incorrect information about the individual for whom ordinances will be done. If the errors are minor, such as an incorrect spelling of the name or an inaccurate date or place, you may elect to do the ordinances using the current card. Then correct the details in FamilyTree. If the ordinance card contains serious errors such as the incorrect gender or the wrong spouse or parents listed for sealings, the incorrect information must be corrected. Click on the person s name in your Temple Ordinance List to return to their record. From their Details Page make the necessary corrections. Return to your Temple Ordinance List, and reprint the Temple Ordinance Request with the correct information. Destroy the incorrect ordinance card. After printing an ordinance card, you find that the individual s ordinances are already done. Remove the individual from your Temple Ordinance List. Access their Details Page to search for and merge duplicate records in the system. Destroy the card that was printed. The card you originally printed cannot be used because it has been lost, damaged, or given to someone else and you cannot get it back. Check your temple ordinances list to see if the ordinances are done. If not, reprint a Family Ordinance Request for the ordinances and take it to the temple to have the cards reprinted. Make a note of what has happened for your records so that if the original cards are later found, they can be destroyed. You printed more cards than you and your family can get done. Consider reassigning the ordinances to the temple following the process outlined above. From your Temple Ordinance List you can monitor the completion of the ordinances. You may also elect to use the Share With Family or Friends option found under the Share Tab. The other choice is to remove the individuals from your temple ordinances list by clicking Unreserve, making the ordinances available for other users to reserve and perform. For the last two choices, you will not be able to directly monitor the progress of these ordinances. In either instance, the cards previously printed should be destroyed. Ordinances were performed in the wrong sequence. Ordinances should always be performed in the correct sequence, that is: Baptism, Confirmation, Initiatory, Endowment, Sealing Husband to Wife, and Sealing of Child to Parents. Vicarious ordinances performed out of Revised August

18 sequence are still valid and should not be repeated. However, they become effective only after the prerequisite ordinances are completed. Henry B. Eyring: Many of your deceased ancestors will have received a testimony that the message of the [gospel] is true. When you received that testimony you could ask... for baptism. But those who are in the spirit world cannot. The ordinances you so cherish are offered only in this world. Someone in this world must go to a holy temple and accept the covenants on behalf of the person in the spirit world. That is why we are under obligation to find the names of our ancestors and ensure that they are offered, by us, what they cannot receive without our help... Think of a faithful missionary [in the Spirit World] standing there with those he has loved and taught who are your ancestors... who he converted but could not baptize or have sealed to family until you came to the rescue. Think of the Savior when you meet Him... He has trusted you by letting you hear the gospel in your lifetime, giving you the chance to accept the obligation of offering it to those of your ancestors who did not have your priceless opportunity. Think of the gratitude He has for those who pay the price in work and faith to find the names of their ancestors and who love them, and Him enough to offer them eternal life in families, the greatest of all the gifts of God. (Ensign May 2005, p ) Key Concepts from Lesson #6: 1. Do not clear ordinances for ancestors about whom you know virtually nothing. Do not surf your pedigree looking for NAMES to clear. Clear temple ordinances for people with whom you are familiar or for whom you can find historical records that provide reliable information about their lives. Do not seal relationships in the temple that you are not sure existed. 2. Always search for and merge duplicate records BEFORE clearing a name for temple ordinances. 3. Always resolve any Data Problems found by FamilySearch before continuing to request temple ordinances. 4. PLEASE respect the 110 year rule when clearing names for temple work. For individuals born within the last 110 years, do not clear the name without written permission from the closest living relative. Do not clear the names of persons to whom you are not related. Revised August

19 5. Even though you can clear a name for Temple Ordinances with a minimum of information, please be sure that all information you enter is as CORRECT AND COMPLETE as possible. Do not settle for sloppy research. 6. Temple ordinances performed using inaccurate information are still valid. As long as you can determine that the ordinances were intended to be for your ancestor, they do not need to be repeated. Edit incorrect information that may be displayed in FamilyTree. Ordinances performed out of order do not need to be repeated. They become valid after prerequisite ordinances are performed. 7. Remember, the symbol indicating that a family s temple ordinances are complete applies only to family members who are listed. There may be other family members whose names are missing or who have not had their ordinances completed. Assignment: Through the methods discussed in Lesson #6, search for ancestors who may have been missed or who are related to you along collateral lines. When you are satisfied that the information you have collected is as correct and complete as possible, reserve the names of these individuals and their family members for temple ordinances. Either share the names with the temple, with others, or make arrangements to attend the temple yourself to perform the temple work for these individuals. Revised August