SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY

Whether you are hoping to marry here in the Catholic Parish of Our Lady and St Michael or in another Church, we would like to offer you our best wishes for this time of preparation and much happiness in the years ahead.

No doubt you are already finding that there are a number of detailed arrangements to be made for your wedding day. We hope that the information given here will indicate clearly all the essential preparations for your marriage and the wedding service itself. There will be a great deal of paperwork that has to be completed before permission is granted for you to marry (some of which is time critical) so please contact us as soon as possible so that we may advise and assist you with planning your happy day. If anything seems confusing or there are any other matters not mentioned here that you would like to discuss, then Fr Fortunato will be happy to help you!

Who can marry in the Catholic Church?

•  Catholics who have not been married before or in a civil partnership and who are free to marry.
•  Catholics marrying Christians of another denomination or someone who belongs to a non-Christian faith or religion.
•  Catholics whose partner does not belong to any particular faith or group

The Marriage Preparation Course

You have chosen to marry in the Catholic Church, in a Catholic ceremony. There are also a number of other arrangements that you will be making, whether for your wedding reception or in buying and preparing your home. The time of your engagement is also the time of preparation for the married life which will follow your wedding day, and it is very important that we also invite you to consider your own expectations and values. Your marriage will be uniquely your own, and no-one can teach you about how to be married. It is important, however, that the right sort of questions are being considered now, which will help you to meet the demands and the challenge of a life-long relationship.

We are not currently running a Marriage Preparation course in the Parish. Various courses are however available around the Diocese. To gain the maximum benefit from this course you should register for one as soon as possible after arranging the date of your marriage. The Archbishop requires that all couples attend a course, and such a course is a requirement for all couples wishing to marry in the Catholic Church. For more details please visit: https://rcdow.org.uk/marriage-and-family-life/marriage-preparation/  When you have completed a course, please make sure you give us the Certificate that you will receive as it will form part of your ‘ Church’ paperwork.

Marriage and the Civil Law
(This may appear complicated. Please ask if in doubt.)

The marriage ceremony of the Church must include the civil marriage declarations for this country. The Civil and Church authorities have carefully agreed the words of the Marriage Rite and they may not be varied. Any differences in the Civil and Church laws are the result of the Church placing great emphasis on the sacrament of the marriage.

Freedom to Marry
The CIVIL LAW lays down a minimum age of 18 years in order to marry. No marriage can take place without Marriage Schedule. These must be applied for in person, collected by you after 15/20 days and given to your priest before the wedding can take place.

For full details of legal requirements please visit: https://www.gov.uk/marriages-civil-partnerships

OBTAINING THE MARRIAGE SCHEDULE IS ENTIRELY YOUR RESPONSIBILITY – without the schedule you can not legally marry!!

Marriage and the Church Law
CIVIL LAW directs that marriage must take place before an authorised person, in the presence of two witnesses, and in a registered building. CHURCH LAW follows this legislation. The Church at which you are marrying may employ or supply an authorised person (often the registrar) and most Catholic churches are registered for weddings. Please check with the priest who is marrying you. In addition, Church Law requires that a Catholic marry before a Catholic priest or deacon. This usually means that the marriage takes place in the parish of the bride or, if she is not a Catholic, in the parish of the bridegroom.

Marriage in a Catholic Church that is neither the parish of the bride nor the groom requires the permission of the Parish Priests involved.

If you wish to marry at Our Lady and St Michael Catholic Church, you must:

• Have a current family link with the Parish.
• Have a permission from your Parish Priest (where you live/worship) to marry outside of that Parish.
• No Marriages are celebrated on a Sunday, during Lent or Advent anywhere in the above mentioned Parish.

Your wedding will be recorded in the marriage register of the parish in which you are married and also in the register of the parish in which you were baptised.
In very particular circumstances and where there might otherwise be great difficulties, the Bishops in England and Wales are willing to dispense a Catholic from the obligation of marrying before a Catholic priest or deacon and will consider giving permission for a marriage in another Christian Church.

Impediments and Dispensations
There must be no impediment to the marriage: for example, no previous marriage (civil or religious), or close family or blood relationship. If in doubt, please discuss this with us at an early stage.
If one of the partners is baptised, but not a Catholic, you need to acquire Permission for a Mixed Marriage before the wedding can take place. If one of the partners is not a Christian (e.g. Muslim, Sikh, Hindu), you will need a Dispensation for Disparity of Cult. We will help you with these documents. Catholics who marry someone who is not a Catholic are asked to sign a promise to continue living their own faith and to do all in their power to have children of the marriage baptised and brought up in the Catholic Faith.

MARRIAGE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED BY THE CHURCH FOR A CATHOLIC WEDDING
A: – WHEN BOTH PARTIES ARE CATHOLICS

1. A new copy of the Baptismal Certificate for each person, issued within six months of the date of the wedding, not before!

2. A Confirmation Certificate for the Catholic parties – this is an absolute requirement for marriages in some countries such as Poland, Malta, Ireland or Italy.

3. A Statutory Declaration of Freedom, for each party, to be sworn before a solicitor, and stamped and witnessed by that solicitor, (Commissioner for Oaths), testifying to your freedom to marry. This declaration must be dated within 6 months of the date of the wedding, not before.

B: – WHEN ONE PARTY IS NON-CATHOLIC

When the non-Catholic has been baptised, a copy of the baptismal certificate, or a letter from the parent stating that you have been baptised. There is no six-month rule here.

2. Statutory Declaration of Freedom (see 3 above).

Whatever your religion, if one or both of you is/are under eighteen you MUST obtain a letter from your parents giving you permission to marry. The person you are to marry MUST be mentioned by name.

The papers for marriages have to be sent to the Diocesan Chancery for processing and granting of permissions. The Chancery asks for a £50.00 donation for this. Cheques should be made payable to “W.R.C.D.T. Garston.”

MARRIAGES ABROAD

If you are marrying abroad, you will still need to supply us with the following information:

Full name and postal address of the Church where you are to be married.
Full name and postal address of the Parish Priest of that church.
Full name and postal address of the Priest who is marrying you if it is not a priest of that parish.
Name of the Roman Catholic Diocese where the Church is.

FRANCE
Some French parishes will only provide up to date baptismal evidence at the request of a parish priest and then only on the French form. Please advise us if this is so in your case.

To be married in France you also have to produce a copy of your Birth Certificate.

It is also a requirement in France for couples to produce a Declaration of Intention, in French. The couple should speak to their French priest to confirm the wording of the Declaration of

Intention, which should then be sent to us, or we can obtain a sample of it for you from our Diocesan Chancery

SPAIN
A copy of your birth certificate and your passport is also required if you are to be married in Spain.

HONG KONG
Copies of birth certificates

Frequently Asked Questions?

Who do I need to speak to in order to book the Church and start my Church paperwork?

Please contact Fr Paul on 01923 673239 to arrange an appointment; alternatively drop an e-mail on garston@rcdow.org.uk

I do not live in the Parish but want to get married at your Church

Marriage in a Catholic Church that is neither the parish of the bride nor the groom requires the permission of both of the Parish Priests involved.

If you wish to marry at Our Lady and St Michael Catholic Church, you must  have a current family link with the respective Church or actually live in the Parish.

I am not getting married at my Parish Church, but I do live in the Parish, do I still need to see you to arrange my paperwork?

Yes, if you live in the Parish we still need to see you. The Priest will have to give you written consent to marry outside of your Parish and we will also still be responsible for preparing  any Church paperwork for you. We will then send this to the Chancery Office in Westminster on your behalf with your admin fee. If permission is granted this will be sent on to the Priest who is marrying you.

How long does it take to arrange the paperwork?

The earliest you can complete the Church paperwork is 6 months before the date of your wedding (as baptism certificates and Statutory declaration of freedom certificates can not be dated any earlier). It is less stressful for all concerned to have all of the paperwork completed and sent to the Chancery as soon as possible after this date as permission has to be granted and sent onward to the Priest marrying you. Without the permission from the Chancery the Priest is not permitted to marry you. At peak times the Chancery Office is very busy. They also sometimes close for a holiday so please do not delay!

How much does it cost to get married at the Catholic Parish of Our Lady and St Michael?

Please contact the Parish Priest.

What about my Order of service?

Please do not go to the expense of having these printed without having consulted the Parish Priest first to ensure that he is happy with your Order of service. Please send through a draft copy for approval.

What about Music?

Any fees will be a private arrangement between yourselves and the musician. Any Music/ hymns chosen should be discussed with the Parish Priest to ensure that is appropriate.

Car Parking at the Church?

Please park considerately in order to avoid any inconvenience in the case of an emergency.

Flowers?

Please advise us as to who your florist will be so that we arrange access to the Church for you. It is customary for the Bride to leave a floral tribute in the Church. If you are not intending to do this please let the office know so that the Church is not left bare.

Wedding rehearsal?

This usually takes place with the Parish Priest at a pre-arranged time / date during the week in the lead up to your wedding

We have a family friend who is a Priest and would like to ‘ marry us’ – is this possible?

Yes, but only with the permission of the Diocese of Westminster and also the Parish Priest. The Bishop or Religious Superior of the ‘ Visiting’ Priest will have to complete a ‘ Testimonial of Suitability’ which is to be sent directly to Archbishop’s House in the Diocese of Westminster.

Do I need to organise the Registrar on the wedding day?

No, this is something that we will organise for you. Your details will be checked against those that you initially gave to the Registrar at the Register Office when applying for your ‘white forms’ as sometimes you may be a year older, have moved address, changed your occupation etc. You will need to ensure that the Church Appointed Registrar is paid on the day of the wedding – a job for your Best man! Registrar fee is of £70.

Traditional for the Bride to be late ?

No … ! Please make sure that you are on time for your marriage service as there will be several other people involved who may have time restrictions and often another wedding to attend afterwards especially the Registrar, Organist, Choir or Musicians. If you are late, they may not stay!!

Roles of Ushers and Best Man ?

Please ask your Ushers and Best Man to be responsible for removing any orders of service, pew ends, used tissues (!), cardboard boxes, drinks cartons (!!) which are brought into the Church and then just left on the benches and tidy any other items from the Church after your marriage service. Often this is over looked when everyone leaves the Church and the Priest is left with a mess to tidy up afterwards. It is suggested that the Best man is also responsible for paying the Registrar on the day and looking after your marriage certificate which will be given to you after you have signed the register.