St. Andrew
Catholic Church
910 Austin Drive
Saline,
MI 48176
(734) 429-5210
Rev. 7/29/2009
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.
1. 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.
2. 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.
B) Church Decorations
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.
C) Photography
Photographers and videographers must check with the priest prior to the wedding regarding their position, flash, movement, intrusiveness, etc.
3. 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 60 days 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.
4.
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.
F) Wedding Fees
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.