For all information regarding the preparation for Holy Matrimony, fees, etc. please see our Holy Matrimony guidelines here.

We  are called to become sacraments/signs of God in the world. We are to reveal God to others. In this sense, we are called to reveal God’s love to the world.  By our own experience we know that God’s love is both unique and personal and universal.
 
God’s love is unique and personal because he loves each one of us in a special way, in just the way we need to be loved. He gently teaches us, and heals us and guides us. God’s love is universal because he loves everyone: black, white, yellow and brown, male and female, Christian, Muslim, Jew and Atheist,  married, single, divorced, etc.
 
Since the sacraments call us to reveal God to the world and Christian love is service, in the Church we have two Sacraments that we call Sacraments of Service: Holy Matrimony and Holy Orders.
 
Holy Orders, are meant to reveal to the world the universal character of God’s love. Bishop, priest and deacon love all without exclusion.
 
Holy Matrimony, is meant to reveal to the world the unique and personal character of God’s love. Through their love and faithfulness the married couple becomes a sacrament of God’s personal love to the world.
 
Along with these two sacraments, we have many other vocations to service and love in the church. No matter our vocation, as Christians, love is our common vocation and our lifestyle.

Holy Matrimony is a Sacrament.  The bride and groom contract their marriage in the presence of God and of the community of faith, and become a holy sign of Christ’s love for the Church and of God’s faithful love for the world.

For your convenience we have put all of our wedding policies in this booklet of Holy Matrimony Guidelines.

For a marriage to be sacramental, two baptized persons:

• freely enter into a vowed commitment of respect, reverence and love
• make this promise for a lifetime
• promise fidelity to each other
• desire that their love be blessed with children and make the commitment to pass on the gift of faith to their children.

If you are interested in having your wedding at one of our parishes, please contact the parish office, at least six months prior to your desired wedding date. Marriage preparation is required.  This consists of 4 meetings with the minister that will witness your weeding as well as completing a PreCana program which you can complete in person or online.

Holy Matrimony can be celebrated:

• During Mass 
• Outside of Mass when at least one of the parties is not Catholic

Holy Matrimony can be celebrated:

In English during Mass by Father Daniel or Father Bob, or outside of Mass by Father Bob.
In Spanish during Mass by Father Daniel, or outside of Mass by one of our deacons.
In both English and Spanish during Mass by Father Daniel or Father Bob, or outside of Mass by one of our deacons.

The chosen minister  to witness the Holy Matrimony (deacon or priest) meets with the couple before the Wedding, to review the theology of the sacrament, to anticipate the ritual of the sacrament and answer any questions.

WEDDING REHEARSAL

The rehearsal will usually take place the afternoon or evening before the wedding and all people taking an active part in the ceremony should attend.

OTHER

Obtain a new (issued within six months of your wedding) Baptismal Certificate from the parish where you were baptized—not an old family copy, but a new one issued just for your marriage. Once you are married, a notice will be sent to your church of baptism. They will make entry into your Baptismal Register there and a notation of your marriage will appear on all subsequently issued copies of your Baptismal Certificate.

Jesus teaches that a valid marriage can only be ended by death, so if one of you has a previous marriage and a still-living former spouse, you will need to show that your previous attempt at marriage was invalid, lacked something necessary for validity.  The process of doing this is called seeking an annulment of that marriage.  If one of you has a previous marriage that ended in divorce, you should discuss this with the priest/deacon at your very first meeting. Annulments take time and you cannot be married in the Church until any needed annulments are obtained and finalized.

WHERE DO WE GO TO GET OUR MARRIAGE LICENSE?

Marriage License Office:

Your marriage license must not be attained more than 10 days before the wedding date. The marriage license is valid only 10 days after it is issued.

Cost is recent years has been $20.00.

When applying for the marriage license, both the bride and groom must be present.

In New York State each must be at least 18 years old at time of application.  (There are some exceptions to this law.)

Many good resources for marriage can be found on the website www.ForYourMarriage.org.