St. Andrew Catholic
Church
910 Austin Drive
Saline, MI 48176
(734)
429-5210
Rev. 7/21/2006
II.
Scheduling
Information
A) Who can have a
wedding at St. Andrew Catholic Church?
B) Who schedules weddings?
C) When
can a wedding be scheduled?
III.
Preparation
Process
A) Roman Catholic Church
Requirements
B) Diocese of Lansing Requirements
C) Marriage Preparation
Process at St. Andrew Catholic Church
A)
The Rehearsal and Wedding
B) Church Decorations
C) Photography
D)
Arrangements for Music
E) Documents Required
F) Wedding Fees
Marriage is a sacrament, one of the visible signs in
this world of God’s power, presence, and action. The vows exchanged at a wedding
proclaim the power of love that joins a man and a woman, just as Christ is
joined to his own body, the Church. This power is the very nature of God, Who is
Love.
The Church urges us to
make weddings liturgical and public celebrations because we have a common call
to salvation. It is the task of our brothers and sisters in Christ, by prayer
and service, to sustain all married couples in their life together. It is the
task of married couples in their faithfulness to each other to be witnesses of
God’s faithful love for his family in Christ.
A
wedding is the joyful beginning of the sacrament of marriage. We are glad to
have this happy beginning celebrated at our parish church. A marriage calls
forth God’s blessing, and all who witness it share in that blessing. For all
great events in our lives there are requirements: rituals, rules and practical details.
This little guide, we hope, will answer
your questions about the preparation for celebrating a marriage here at St.
Andrew Catholic Church.
A) Who can have a wedding at St. Andrew Catholic Church?
At least one member of the couple must be an active Catholic[1]
who is:
1)
a registered parish
member
- or -
2)
the child of a parish
member, who lives away from their parent’s home and who has a letter of
permission from his/her pastor.
- or -
3)
an individual from Saline
whose family is hosting the wedding and is marrying an active Catholic[2]
from another part of the state or
country. The Catholic must
have a letter of permission from their pastor.
Important: You need a letter from the pastor of the parish where
you live and worship. Every pastor is responsible for the spiritual well being
of his parishioners. Since marriage is one of the most significant spiritual
events in our lives the Church insists that you ask for your pastor’s permission
if you intend to celebrate this great moment in a church that is not your local
church.
B) Who schedules weddings?
Only the Pastor, Fr. William J. Stevenson, Father Gordon Reigle or the Deacon, Paul Ellis, may schedule a wedding at St. Andrew Church. An individual who wishes to be married at St. Andrew Church must speak directly to the Pastor, Associate or Deacon.
FYI:
Usually a Nuptial Mass is
celebrated for the wedding of two Catholics. When a marriage occurs between a
Catholic and someone of a different tradition, a wedding without a Mass is
generally celebrated.
C) When can a wedding be scheduled?
Ordinarily the times allotted for weddings at St. Andrew Church are Friday evenings after 6:00pm and Saturday at 11:00am or Saturday at 2:00pm. Only two weddings will be scheduled per weekend at the church.
Weddings on weekdays or evenings may be scheduled if
there is space in the general parish schedule.
Weddings during a weekend parish Mass are permitted,
even encouraged.
A marriage is a lifelong
commitment and a wedding is never a casual event. Because it is such a serious
moment, the Church asks that those wishing to be married in the Roman Catholic
Church prepare themselves by taking part together in a preparation program
established by their diocese.
A) Roman Catholic Church Requirements
First of all, the man and the woman requesting marriage
must be free to contract a marriage and must be of proper age to do so. Consult with your local parish priest
about prior marriages, divorces or annulments.
Weddings between two Roman
Catholics:
·
A wedding of two Roman
Catholics must take place in a Catholic church or chapel.
·
The marriage must be
witnessed by a Catholic priest or deacon who is in good standing with the
diocese (e.g., rent-a-priest weddings are invalid).
·
The couple must have the
written permission of their pastors if they are to be married in a Catholic
church that is not their home parish.
·
Both members of the couple
must present recently issued & annotated baptismal
certificates.
·
There must be a period of
preparation under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church prior to the
marriage ceremony.
Weddings between a Roman
Catholic and a non-Catholic:
·
The marriage, to be
recognized by the Church, requires permission. [The priest will help to secure this
permission or dispensation.]
·
The wedding must be
witnessed by a Catholic priest and/or an ordained witness or
Rabbi.
·
The wedding may, with
permission, take place outside of a Catholic church.
·
There must be a period of
preparation under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church prior to the
marriage ceremony.
B) Diocese of
Lansing Requirements
A nine-month period of preparation is required by
the diocese:
·
The preparation will
include meetings between the couple and their parish priest or deacon or someone
delegated to do the preparation.
·
The couple will attend
either a WE C.A.R.E. workshop or an Engaged Encounter weekend as a
part of their preparation.
·
Marriage preparation also
includes an introductory course in Natural Family Planning,
NFP.
·
For those who have been
married previously, a Building Bridges Remarriage Seminar is part of the
preparation.
C) Marriage Preparation
Process @ St. Andrew Catholic Church
Meetings to attend (at
the parish):
·
There will be an initial
pastoral interview nine months prior to the wedding to schedule the date and
several more scheduled meetings during the following months. Note: A recently issued &
annotated baptismal certificate will be requested at the first
meeting.
·
At one of the meetings,
the couple will receive a booklet, Together for Life, which contains the
readings and ritual prayers for weddings.
·
There will be a final
meeting with the priest or deacon officiating at the wedding immediately prior
to the wedding rehearsal.
·
There should be a least
one meeting arranged with the music director in preparation for the wedding.
Courses to attend (outside
of the parish):
·
The engaged couple will be
contacted by a trained parish FOCCUS couple to schedule several marriage
preparation sessions. (FOCCUS means Facilitating Open
Couple Communication, Understanding &
Study.) The FOCCUS couple
will administer a pre-nuptial inventory at their first meeting and review it
with the engaged couple during several subsequent sessions.
·
Per diocesan requirements,
the couple will also attend a WE C.A.R.E. workshop or Engaged
Encounter weekend as well as an introductory course in Natural Family
Planning (as noted above).
·
For those who have been
married previously, a Building Bridges Remarriage Seminar is part of the
preparatory process.
Note – about marriage
preparation elsewhere:
·
If you do not live in the
Diocese of Lansing, you may complete your marriage preparation in the diocese
where you are living. You will be asked to follow the marriage preparation plan
of that diocese. The priest or deacon or pastoral associate who supervises
your pre-marriage preparation must send a letter to the pastor of St. Andrew
Church indicating that they will be supervising your marriage preparation
and that they will be responsible for completing the marriage preparation
file. When the preparation is
completed, they must send the file to St. Andrew Church in a timely fashion
prior to the wedding.
A) The Rehearsal
and Wedding
·
There should be a
pre-rehearsal meeting with the priest or deacon who will be blessing your
marriage. The plans for the wedding
and a review of the ceremony will take place at that time.
·
The rehearsal should be
scheduled for the evening before the wedding and will follow the plan that the
bride, groom and Presider decided on at their last meeting.
·
The church will be
available for pre-wedding photographs and decorating at least an hour before the
ceremony.
There are only a few limits that we place on decorating for weddings:
· Pew bows may not be attached to the pews by metal clips, wire or tape! However, simple plastic clips, ribbons or elastic may be used.
· Flowers around the altar may not be higher than the surface of the altar, and flower sprays may not be placed in front of the altar. Note: if you intend to use a unity candle as part of your ceremony it is a good idea to remember it when planning the flower decoration.
· We do not recommend aisle runners. The aisle is short and the tile makes the use of a runner unsafe.
· Any decorations for a liturgical season must be left in place. For example, Christmas decorations (etc.) may not be removed from the altar area, and Lenten decorations must remain in place.
· Please do not throw rice, birdseed, or flower petals on church property.
Photographers and videographers must check with the priest prior to the wedding regarding their position, flash, movement, intrusiveness, etc.
D) Arrangements for Music
The music director of St. Andrew Church has oversight responsibility for all liturgical music in celebrations at the church. You will have to make an appointment with him at least a month prior to your wedding to review and plan your music. The Diocese of Lansing requires that the parish music director evaluate all musical texts and judge if they reflect the Christian concepts of love and fidelity. The music director must also approve all guest singers and instrumentalists.
E) Documents
Required
·
Michigan law requires that
you obtain a Marriage License no sooner than 30 days prior to the wedding
date and no later than 3 days prior to the wedding. This should be brought to
the pre-rehearsal meeting.
·
Certificates of
Baptism should be obtained from the
places where the bride and groom were baptized.
·
An Annulment
Certificate must be given to the pastor if either the bride or the groom was
previously married. A person who was previously married may not be married in a
Catholic ceremony until the former marriage is granted a declaration of nullity.
This includes all marriages witnessed in the churches of other Christian
denominations, other faiths, or even civilly.
A list of stipends for the use of the church, for music planning and performance will be provided at your first visit with the Pastor.
[1] By “practicing Catholic” the Church means someone who is baptized, has received first Communion, has been Confirmed: a practicing Catholic attends weekly Mass and regularly approaches the Sacrament of Reconciliation, i.e. Confession.
If a person has been away from the Church, he/she
should mention this to the priest and be prepared to resume regular practice of
the Faith.
[2] Ibid.