Massachusetts General Laws Part I. Administration of the Government (Ch. 1-182) Ch. 180, § 9

Any civic, educational, charitable, benevolent, church or cemetery organization created or organized under the laws of the commonwealth, the evidence of the corporate existence of which is not on file in the records of the state secretary by reason of the destruction of records or by reason of the fact that it was organized before such recording was required, may file such evidence with the state secretary. The evidence of corporate existence shall include, so far as originals are available, copies of agreements of association and articles of organization or similar documents, and a certificate executed by the president, treasurer, clerk and a majority of the directors, setting forth, so far as known, the history and present status of the corporation and its structure such as would have been disclosed by the filing of the original corporation documents and amendments thereto. The state secretary, if satisfied of its corporate existence, shall endorse his approval upon such copies of the agreement of association and articles of organization or similar documents and upon such certificate, and, upon receipt of a filing fee of five dollars, shall file the same in his office, and shall issue a certificate of incorporation, in such form as he shall determine, dated as of the earliest date upon which such documents shall indicate the corporation to have been in existence. Any civic, educational, charitable, benevolent, church or cemetery organization to which a certificate of incorporation is so issued shall thereafter comply with the provisions of the general laws relating to similar corporations.