MARRIAGE IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

Transcription

1 MARRIAGE IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH Dear brothers and sisters in Christ who seek to be married at St. Cecilia: Congratulations! We are delighted that you have chosen to make a lifelong commitment to one another. We join in thanking Almighty God for showing His love to you, and through you to all the world, in the blessing of married life and love. It is our privilege to help you prepare to celebrate marriage in the Catholic Church. The guidelines should answer most of your questions about how weddings are conducted in this parish. What is written here is what you can expect of us, and what we will expect of you. Please read it carefully. Here are some primary considerations. The date and time of your wedding should be discussed and recorded in the Church calendar by the priest or deacon you meet with. It is not advisable to schedule the reception without knowing the availability of the Church. The date you desire must be available on the Church calendar and on that of the priest or deacon. A wedding may take place within Mass or outside Mass. A wedding between two baptized Catholics ought to be celebrated within Mass. A wedding between a baptized Catholic and a baptized Christian may be celebrated within Mass, hence only Catholics may receive the Holy Communion the Eucharist. A wedding between a Catholic and non-baptized person is celebrated outside Mass in normally a ceremony. If you would like to have a priest or deacon from outside St. Cecilia parish to officiate at your wedding, he will need to obtain delegation from the administrator, and normally he should take care of the paper work and prepare you for marriage. If he is not from Diocese of Orange, he will submit to the administrator his good standing letter signed by his superior/(arch)bishop. We look forward to being part of your special day, and hope your contact with us will be pleasant, and an encouragement to further your involvement in the life of the parish. May God bless you abundantly! May Our Lady Mary and St. Cecilia, pray for us! Rev. Bao Thai Administrator 1301 Sycamore Avenue, Tustin, California Tel: (714) * Fax: (714) * Website: Revised in September 26, Page 1 of 5

2 PREPARATION GUIDELINES Effectively in 10/1/2015 The priest or deacon who presides at the wedding is to prepare the groom and bride to complete the following required documents and to follow the procedures. 1. Baptismal Certificate Both Catholic bride and Catholic groom must obtain your NEWLY issued baptismal record from the church where you were baptized. This serves to verify that you are Catholic and to determine if you are able to be married in the Catholic Church. Non- Catholic Baptized bride or groom also submits your baptismal certificate. 2. First Communion and Confirmation Certificates Catholic bride and groom must submit Xerox copies of these documents, issued at the time the sacrament was received, are acceptable. 3. Testimony of Freedom to Marry Four forms (provided in this folder) are to be complete and signed, in the presence of the priest, deacon or notary, by two family members or relatives of the bride and groom to state that both the bride and groom are free to marry in the Catholic Church. If you have a previous marriage, it must be annulled according to the Law of the Catholic Church. 4. Prenuptial Investigation Two Prenuptial Investigation forms (provided in this folder) are to be complete and signed. The bride and groom are to be interviewed separately by the priest or deacon. 5. Civil Marriage License Civil Marriage License is obtained from the County Courthouse and is valid for 90 days from the day of issuance. The Orange County Courthouse is located at 211 West Santa Ana, Room 201. Business hours are from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm. A Confidential Marriage License is valid only in the county in which it is issued. The License must be given to the priest or deacon no later than one month prior to the wedding. Again, please note that whatever previous marriage might be occurred, it must be annulled according to the Canon Law of the Catholic Church prior to the wedding. 6. Marriage Preparation Program Attending a Marriage Preparation Program is a required part of the preparation program for marriage in the Catholic Church. You will find a program brochure in this folder. After completion of the program of your choice, you will receive a certificate that should be turned in to the priest or deacon as soon as possible. Revised in September 26, Page 2 of 5

3 7. The Wedding Liturgy a) Wedding Time Weddings are celebrated on Saturday, at 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm. No weddings may begin after 3:00 pm because of conflicts with other church services. Wedding rehearsal is on Friday, at 7:00 pm in the church. The church will be available thirty minutes before the wedding for the wedding party and for decoration. Both the rehearsal and the wedding should begin exactly on time. Immediately after the wedding, the best man and the maid of honor should proceed to the sacristy to sign the marriage documents, if needed. To assist guests in arriving on time, we suggest providing them with a map. (A copy of a map is enclosed in this folder). b) Rehearsal Time The normal day for rehearsal is on Friday, at 7:00 pm in the church. Rehearsal normally lasts about an hour. Only those actually involved in the wedding should attend the rehearsal. It is recommended that children, participating in the wedding as flower girls and ring bearers, be at least 4 years of age. Please remember that our church is a place of worship and we ask that you and your guests be mindful of this fact during the rehearsal and the wedding itself. Alcohol, chewing gum and smoking are not allowed anywhere in the church building. c) Wedding Coordinator Each wedding must have a coordinator. The coordinator is responsible to assist the bride and groom, your family, relatives, and friends, the wedding party, and the priest or deacon. The coordinator will conduct the rehearsal and coordinate the wedding party, musicians, ushers, florists, and photographers on the day of the wedding. A stipend of $ should be given to the coordinator. Please contact one of the following coordinators to schedule your rehearsal. d) Music English: Rosalina López Spanish: Sandra Moreno Vietnamese: Huệ Trần The nature of the liturgy must be respected when considering musical selections and musicians. For further assistance, please contact our parish Music Director or Music Coordinator, in English, Spanish, or Vietnamese. English: Alina Artemova , Ext. 18 Spanish: Rose Schiller , Ext. 26 Vietnamese: Deacon Dong Ngo Revised in September 26, Page 3 of 5

4 e) Altar Server Generally two altar servers are provided for each wedding Mass. A gift of $15.00 is considered appropriate per altar server. f) Readings and Prayers We encourage the bride and groom to be actively involved in your wedding planning and, for this reason, we provide you with a copy of a marriage preparation book by Father Joseph Champlin. You will be asked to carefully study this book and select the prayers and the scripture readings for your wedding. You will also be encouraged to select your family, relatives or friends to read the first and second readings. Those readers need to be Christians and at least 15 years of age. 8. Environment: a) Flowers & Decorations All flowers for the altar area are your responsibility. They should be tasteful and appropriate as well as easy to install and remove. Normally, only a 30 minute period before and after the wedding is allowed for this purpose. After the wedding, if you are not taking them with you, the flowers may be left in one of the alcoves on the parking lot side of the church. They may not be left on the altar. No wire or tape may be used to attach decorations to the church furnishings and no candles or runners are permitted in the aisles. If the church has seasonal decorations installed, these may not be removed or changed. You may, however, add your own. However, please keep in mind that during the season of Lent, only one flower arrangement may be placed in the altar area. This is in compliance with the Church s season. Lent is a time for penance and simplicity. For further information please call your wedding coordinator. b) Photography & Video Candid pictures or videos are permitted during the ceremony but flash and floodlights are prohibited. If notified in advance, photographers can purchase film that does not need flash. A photographer who uses flash during the wedding will be asked to leave. If any of your guests plan on taking pictures, please advise them of the above procedures, especially the prohibition against flash pictures. Posed portraits are not allowed in the church before or after the wedding. The lawn areas to the west of the church are available for this purpose. Please make sure the photographer reads this guideline and instruct the photographer to contact the wedding coordinator well in advance. c) Rice, Confetti, etc. The throwing or scattering of rice, birdseed, confetti, flower petals or any such material in the church or on the church grounds creates a severe custodial problem and is therefore, prohibited. Revised in September 26, Page 4 of 5

5 9. Church Offering It is customary to make a donation to the church for her utilities in keeping with other wedding expenses. For both parishioner and non-parishioner, $ is our suggested donation. A credit card, check or money order should be made payable to St. Cecilia Church with memo Wedding on MM/DD/YYY. A deposit with the amount of $ should be made to secure the date and time of your wedding. The balance should be complete as the same time you submit your Marriage License - one month in advance. For further assistance, please feel free to call the parish office at , Ext. 10. English/Vietnamese: Fr. Bao Thai, , Ext. 14 English/Tagalog: Fr. Wayne Adajar, , Ext. 31 English/Spanish: Fr. Agustin Escobar, , Ext. 15 English/Vietnamese: Deacon Dong Ngo, Revised in September 26, Page 5 of 5