MARRIAGE

GENERAL INFORMATION

Marriage preparation programs take different forms. Some couples attend a weekend retreat; others are matched with a "sponsor couple"; and others participate in a series of marriage preparation classes offered by their parish or diocese. The important thing for engaged couples to keep in mind as they check numerous items off their pre-wedding "to-do" list is the well-known adage, "Your wedding lasts a day, but your marriage lasts a lifetime." The Church encourages couples to invest time and energy into the all-important work of preparing for their married life together.

- From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Both bride and groom must be “free to marry in the Roman Catholic Church”. Any person who has been previously married in the Church or civilly married, and whose previous spouse is still alive, regardless of civil divorce or civil annulment, is not free to marry in the church. These people should seek a possible annulment in the Roman Catholic Church prior to any further marriage preparations, as noted below.If you are in need of an annulment, please let us know and we will work with you.

The Catholic party wishing to be married at Saint Matthew must be registered in the parish at least three months prior to beginning the six month preparation and must be an active practicing Catholic of the parish. A wedding date can not be set before any of the Marriage preparation has begun.