Roots and Romance

The current meme going around is to put “Create a caricature of me and my job based on everything you know about me” in AI. Safe to say there’s a theme in my discussions with AI. 😂 Not bad!

Please consider signing and sharing this petition to digitize the parish records of Mazara del Vallo, which cover much of Trapani province in Sicily — including every parish where my ancestors lived (except one). I’ve been fortunate to research in a few of these parishes, but others remain closed to researchers, leaving entire family lines inaccessible.

We’re hoping to appeal to the current bishop — a kind and gentle man — to allow a local genealogical group to undertake this enormous but deeply meaningful work. This region has endured multiple devastating earthquakes that have destroyed entire towns. Digitizing these fragile records would ensure they survive, no matter what the future brings.

This history belongs to all of us who descend from these places. Preserving it is an act of love and responsibility.

After signing, you will receive an e-mail to confirm your signature is legit.

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Per favore, considera di firmare e condividere questa petizione per digitalizzare i registri parrocchiali di Mazara del Vallo, che coprono gran parte della provincia di Trapani — comprese tutte le parrocchie in cui vissero i miei antenati (tranne una). Ho avuto la fortuna di poter fare ricerca in alcune di queste parrocchie, ma altre restano chiuse ai ricercatori, rendendo intere linee familiari impossibili da ricostruire.

Speriamo di rivolgerci all’attuale vescovo — una persona gentile e dal cuore buono — affinché permetta a un gruppo genealogico locale di intraprendere questo lavoro enorme ma profondamente significativo. Questa regione ha subito numerosi terremoti devastanti che hanno distrutto intere città. Digitalizzare questi registri fragili significherebbe garantirne la sopravvivenza, qualunque cosa riservi il futuro.

Questa storia appartiene a tutti noi che discendiamo da questi luoghi. Preservarla è un atto d’amore e di responsabilità.

Dopo aver firmato, riceverai un'e-mail per confermare che la tua firma è autentica.

Firma la petizione Tuteliamo i registri parrocchiali della diocesi di Mazara del Vallo!

Do you have a Canadian ancestor? Under the new law, Bill C-3, which came into effect on December 15, 2025, you may already be a Canadian citizen and can apply for a Certificate of Citizenship.

I was reminded of this on New Year's Eve.

Yesterday, on New Years Day, I took about three hours to fill out applications, print copies of records that I already had, and today I paperclipped it all together, ran to FedEx, and just like that, for less than $250 bucks shipped, and in under 24 hours, father-daughter have sent off applications to become Canucks.

We did SAR and DAR together; now, Canadian citizenship…what else can we bond over? Maybe we should try an ice cream cone instead of these paperwork-heavy experiences? 😂