Celebrating Your Marriage at
St. Matthew the Apostle Church
The Catholic Church esteems marriage as sacred – one of the seven sacraments of the continual presence of Christ among us. Saint Paul says the union of husband and wife is a sign of the union of Christ and the Church.
In witnessing your marriage, our Church community desires to uphold and support you faithfully for the rest of your lives as you grow together in God who is Love. We undertake this work with you as you begin preparing to live the Sacrament of Marriage and we believe our marriage preparation program reflects our commitment to help you to live your vocation to the married life.
The marriage preparation process includes the following steps:
· First, the couple is asked to attend the Marriage class, held bimonthly on a Saturday morning. One of the parish priests facilitates the class and discusses the Church’s teachings on the sacrament of Marriage, the various components of the Marriage Preparation Program at St. Matthew Church, the wedding policies of the parish and assists the couple to complete a pre-marriage inventory.
· Second, the couple is asked to read the Marriage booklet (available below). Once they complete the form at the end of the booklet and return it to the parish, the couple may set up a meeting with one of the priests to set a wedding date.
· Throughout the following months, the couple will also:
§ Meet with a mentor couple from the parish
§ Attend an Engaged
Encounter weekend
§ Attend Natural
Family Planning sessions
Please contact the Wedding Coordinator bvonau@stmatthew.net for more information or if you have any questions concerning the process as outlined above.
To download the Marriage booklet, please click here. For the other agreements, please click on the following:
Wedding
Policy Agreement
Wedding
Music Agreement
Visiting Clergy
Agreement
Videographer/Photographer
Agreement
Florist
Agreement/Policy
Sample Wedding
Program with Mass
Sample Wedding Program
Outside of Mass
Planning Your Wedding
Liturgy
Selection Form
(may be typed and saved to desktop)
Options
for Scripture Passages
(select one of each)
Options
for Prayers and Blessings
(select one from the appropriate category)
For
Weddings Within Mass
For
Weddings Outside of Mass between a Catholic and Baptized Christian
For
Weddings Outside of Mass between a Catholic and Unbaptized Person
Rite of
Marriage Options
Options
for the
Prayers of
the Faithful
(select one)