Congratulations on your engagement! The goal of our parish is to help enrich the couple's relationship with one another and with the Church.

1. Request an updated baptismal certificate from your church of Baptism
   (the one issued to you at baptism is not acceptable);
2. Make copies of your First Communion and Confirmation certificates; and
3. Call Jacqui to make an appointment with a priest to discuss available dates and to obtain guidelines. At this appointment, you may place a non-refundable deposit of $100.00 to secure your wedding date.

1. If you were married to another individual outside the Catholic Church, you will need to complete a petition for freedom to marry due to a lack of form. Lack of form cases are usually a simple process. You will need to: 1) obtain a new baptismal certificate for yourself; 2) provide a copy of your final divorce decree and 3) provide a copy of your marriage certificate issued by the county and; 4) provide a check in the amount of $30 made payable to the Diocesan Tribunal. Once you have your documentation, you should make an appointment with one of our priests.


2. If you were married to another individual through the Catholic Church, you will need an Annulment. Please call Jacqui in the parish office at 299-4270 to set up an appointment with a priest. He will explain the documentation you will need to complete. Thereafter, he will submit the case to the Diocesan Tribunal on your behalf. Typically, Annulments take months to complete, which can be from eight months to two years depending on the case.


3. If you were married to each other outside the Catholic Church, and have not been married to any one else before, then it is possible to have your marriage blessed in the Catholic church through a simple ceremony called a "Convalidation." (see last question/answer below). You will need to 1) obtain a new baptismal certificate for the Catholic party(ies) and; 2) provide a copy of your civil marriage certificate issued by the county.

FAQs about weddings...

A. Whenever a Catholic receives the sacraments of Confirmation, Marriage or Religious Profession, that information is sent back to the church of Baptism to be recorded in their sacramental record books. This offers a double recording in case of the loss of records in one of the parishes. When preparing a new baptismal certificate, they will include "notations" on the back of the certificate indicating what other sacraments they have listed for you. Obviously, when you were baptized, those other sacraments had not yet occurred. Specifically, we need to make sure there are no notations in regards to previous marriage in the church.

A. The laws of the Catholic Church regarding the recording of sacraments are the same throughout the world. We have a directory of churches throughout the world and can provide addresses, phone numbers and fax numbers to help you in your request. Usually, it takes a little longer to receive the information so be sure to allow sufficient time for mailing when scheduling your appointment. The fact that someone was baptized in another country is not an exemption of this requirement.

A. Yes, provided there are no impediments (previous marriages, etc.)

A. Because the Catholic Church does not deny the existence of a civil marriage, a blessing ceremony in the Catholic Church is possible. However, a formal church wedding ceremony is not appropriate because the Church does not want to give the appearance that a "new" marriage is taking place. This Church blessing is officially called a Convalidation. Although it is not a formal ceremony, it is very special nonetheless. The ceremony consists of a reading, homily, renewal of vows and blessing of rings. You will need to select two people to act as witnesses and you may invite other family members to be present. Convalidations are held in the Chapel, which seats up to 25 people.