In how many days do we need to update the Marriage or Baptism Book? How many days should it take before we can release the certificates?

It is good practice to daily update the Church books to prevent records from getting lost. If possible, it is also good practice to immediately issue the certificates right after a baptism, confirmation or marriage rite to help the parents or individuals concerned save time and money by having to come back to get them.

Before issuing Church documents from the parish, is it necessary to request for an authorization letter if a representative of the individual concerned is making the request? This often happens when the individual is out of town or out of the country.

Yes, it is good practice to request for an authorization letter before issuing a Church document to a representative of the individual. This is to make sure that the document will not be used without the knowledge of the individual who owns it.