The City Clerk of the City of New York has a sense of humor. Who knew?

I recently had to register to officiate at a wedding in the City of New York. (I actually didn’t need to register, as it turns out, but that’s another story…)

Here are the rules for registering as clergy:

• If you are a clergy member or minister of any religious faith or a Leader of the Society for Ethical Culture, there are three registration procedure options depending on which most suits your organization or congregation.
• Option 1: Your denomination publishes a directory.
• If you belong to a denomination that publishes a directory of its clergy, you may present the actual directory or a copy of the cover page of the directory and a copy of the page where your name is listed; or
• If your name is not yet listed in a directory, you may present a letter from the denomination that publishes the directory, confirming your membership; or
• If your name is not yet listed in a directory, you may also submit a certificate or letter that shows you graduated from the seminary or theological school of the denomination that publishes the directory.
• Option 2: Your denomination does not publish a directory, but issues Certificates of Ordination or Licenses to Minister.
• If you do not belong to a denomination that publishes a directory, you may submit a copy of your ordination certificate, a License to Minister, or a letter of appointment from your denomination; and
• If the Certificate of Ordination is not written in English, you must also provide an English translation; and
• You must attach a letter from your local congregation that verifies that you are the pastor or associate pastor of the congregation and that your congregation consents to your registration with the Office of the City Clerk; and
• You must attach one of the following documents:
• A copy of the church's Articles of Incorporation; or
• A statement that lists the location of the church, the reason for the church's founding, the number of trustees of the church, the approximate size of the congregation, and how often the congregation meets.
• Option 3: Your denomination does not publish a directory and does not issue Certificates of Ordination or Licenses to Minister.
• If you do not belong to a denomination that publishes a directory and your denomination does not grant Certificates of Ordination or Licenses to Minister, you may still register by submitting a letter from your congregation that states that you are the recognized spiritual leader of the congregation and the congregation consents to your registration; and
• You must attach one of the following documents:
• A copy of the church's Articles of Incorporation; or
• A statement that lists the location of the church, the reason for the church's founding, the number of trustees of the church, the approximate size of the congregation and how often the congregation meets.
• Once you have completed the form using the correct option above, you must visit the Manhattan office to complete your registration if you are a resident of the City of New York.
• If you reside outside of the City of New York you may mail the signed and notarized application, a photocopy of your proper identification and your fee of $15 by credit card or money order payable to the City Clerk.

If you read through all of that, you probably – like me – think that the City Clerk is someone who takes her job very seriously and has no sense of humor. On receiving my certification, though, I found out otherwise. This is the text of the sample license they send you, to show to fill out the form:

From the Groom:

Name: Austin Powers

Age: 101

Address: 1313 Mocking Bird Ln

City: Gotham City

Usual Occupation: Super Spy

Father Name: Fassia Austin

Birth Place: PR, USA

Mother Name: Jane Tarzan

Birth Place: AL, USA

From the Bride:

Name: Jenny From the Block

Age: 101

Address: 1313 Mocking Bird Ln

City: Gotham City

Usual Occupation: model

Father Name: Rock the Block

Birth Place: Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Mother Name: Lizzy Thin

Birth Place: Brazil

Turns out the City Clerk does have a sense of humor… who knew?