Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming marriage!
Marriage is a vocation, a calling by God to live a particular way of life. As Catholic Christians, the love between a wife and husband is the sign of how God loves us and how Christ loves the Church. This is why Marriage is a Sacrament and the Church has surrounded it with special traditions and sacred rites. Your love is to be a sign of hope for us all. This is why it requires faith to take on this vocation before the whole world and faith to trust that God will be present in your married life together.
Requirements
- Please contact your parish of baptism to obtain a newly issued baptismal certificate for your marriage file.
- Completion of the diocesan Marriage Preparation program is required.
- You will need to contact a municipal office to obtain an Ontario Marriage License, but no earlier than 90 days before your wedding.
Marriage Preparation Program
Since you are planning to spend the rest of your lives together, every step must be taken to ensure your happiness. To this end, the Church offers marriage preparation courses and you are required to take one prior to your marriage. Marriage preparation courses are offered regularly within the Diocese of Pembroke at various parishes. The parish office can supply you with upcoming dates and locations of these courses.
Diocese of Pembroke Marriage Preparation Program
Planning the Wedding Liturgy
You will plan your wedding liturgy with the assistance of the parish priest who will be officiating at your wedding. The couple is asked to not make any arrangements regarding musicians, decorations, flowers and photographers until first speaking with the parish priest.
Hours for Weddings
Weddings can take place on almost any weekday and on Saturdays. Weddings are never celebrated on Sundays.
Music
In selecting the music for your wedding, please remember that the ceremony is religious in nature, and thus the music should be conservative in character. Our organist can assist you in choosing hymns and helping you understand our policy on musicians from outside the parish. Please contact the parish office for more information and contact numbers.
The Wedding Rehearsal
The rehearsal is normally held on the evening before the wedding. Everyone in the bridal party and those assisting in the ceremony must attend the rehearsal.
Common Questions
A. Canon Law directs us that a marriage should take place in the parish of the bride or groom. Even though a young woman or man is living away from home, she or he can be married in the parish where their parents reside.
If a couple is getting married in a parish other than their own, the permission of your regular parish priest will be required for the wedding to take place in the other parish. When only one of the parties is Catholic, the marriage generally takes place in the parish of the Catholic party.
A. The marriage of a Catholic to a non-Catholic requires that certain conditions be observed. There is no obligation that the non-Catholic party become Catholic. The Catholic party promises that she or he will do all in her or his power to have the children raised in the Catholic Faith, and that the marriage will be celebrated according to the form of the Catholic Church, that is, in the presence of a Catholic priest or deacon and two witnesses. Normally a wedding between a Catholic and a non-Catholic takes place outside of Mass.
A. St. Columbkille’s Cathedral does not celebrate weddings on Sundays or Holy Days of Obligation (January 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God and December 25, the solemnity of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ).
A. Before a date can be reserved, the couple must first make an appointment with the parish priest. This should be done at least twelve (12) months in advance of your intended date and before any other arrangements are made. If arrangements are made with the reception hall or caters first, there is no guarantee that the Parish will be able to accommodate that date or time. Please contact the parish office as soon as you have chosen a date.
A. The short answer is no. Marriage is a Sacrament within the Church, and the content of the vows is for the validity of the act of entering marriage.