FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)​

• What if my question isn't answered?

  If you think that your question hasn’t been answered, please get in touch with us.

• I will be visiting Madrid and I am a Catholic traveling on a budget. Can you help me find a convent or other religious house in which I can stay?

  Sorry, but those kind of requests must come from a bishop/religious superior to his/her equal in Spain.

• I am trying to research my family tree or find someone in Spain. Can you be my contact, translator, do some looking around, or make some phone calls for me?

  Sorry, but you would do best by coming to Madrid and doing your research in person. We simply don’t have the resources. (Neither the time nor the finances)

• I am poor from another country and I want money for studies or a sick relative, would you help me?

  OLM has a very high percentage of immigrants in the parish. We are very sorry for your plight but we cannot help. Also, the Internet is just too full of scammers.

• Can I get married at OLM?

  Click here for information on Marriage info.

• I am not a parishioner but live in Madrid. I need something. Should I email you or call?

  Neither. You should come to OLM in person on any Sunday at 11:00 AM and make your request.

• Will OLM help me get married so that I can get European Community residence?

  Absolutely not. And we warn those Europeans who marry in the church for a fee to help a non European Community Member risk incarceration

• I have some great ideas for charity or a foundation. Will OLM collaborate?

  Sorry, our budget is modest and our church is poor. We do however accept donations, especially for our immigrant fund.

• Can I offer you millions of dollars for the advance-fee scam?

  No, please see http://419eater.com

• Will you baptize our baby even if we were not married in the church?

  Yes, please come on a Sunday and worship with us first.

• How many different nationalities are represented at OLM?

  Currently we have people from 35 different countries. You will certainly meet someone from your country here.

• I need a baptismal certificate from another church, will you help me?

  Please find the church on www.misas.org and make your request directly.

• Is there another English-speaking church in Madrid?

  No, we are the only one. There is a parish in Barcelona but there are no other English-speaking parishes elsewhere. The Bishop of Madrid has not approved any other church for Masses in English or Catechesis in English. Once in a while, a Spanish priest tries to begin, on his own accord, a Mass in English but we hear that the end result is less than ideal.

• What is the telephone number of the English-speaking Catholic church in Barcelona?

  932 035 539

• Would you host my Christian ministry group or let us use your church for a concert?

  We are very sorry but we do not own our church, we use a Spanish church on a limited basis and therefore can not offer it to outside groups.

• Will you ask your families to open up their homes to host us as we are good Christians?

  Sorry, but we do not ask our families to open up their homes to people they do not know. We simply cannot be responsible.

• Will you accept donations of furniture or old clothes?

  Yes, we accept all clothes, as long as they are clean. No, we cannot pick them up for you, please drop them off. As for furniture, it depends on the quality. Junk is junk. One family offered an entire household of furniture in “fair condition” for “a poor family”, and after we started to move it, we were scandalized to discover it was junk and we had to carry it to the dump. The furniture was on the top floor of a building with no elevator. We were scammed to move out their junk and we even paid for the van! We are not picky but true charity does not see the “poor” as some far away unknown face that should be deprived of human dignity.

• Will you help me find an English teacher for free or for very low pay? I am a priest or a very good Christian.

  We will try and provide you with people who are looking for work. But we ask you offer a fair wage.

• Can you help me find housing? (Temporary or Permanent)

  Some of our parishioners have been able to find satisfactory housing using the following site. 

  https://behakuna.com/pages/madrid