Matrimony

As soon as you become engaged, contact the Church office to schedule an initial meeting with our Pastor. Father is willing to walk with you as you prepare for the vocation of married life. He would like for you to contact him at least 6 months in advance to explain the steps to make your marriage the best possible, and to set a date for the ceremony in one of our parishes. This is our Diocesan policy. A wedding date will not be set until you meet with a priest.

Several sessions of approximately one hour each with the parish priest or deacon scheduled to preside at the wedding.  Sessions will include the Roman Catholic understanding of the sacrament of Marriage, the planning of the wedding ceremony, and any other areas as determined by the priest, deacon or the couple themselves. 

Four to six meetings to discuss the results of your Fully Engaged pre-marital inventory.   This is a very important part of the preparation for the sacrament and the engaged couples need to be flexible and available to meet with their mentor couples. This must be a priority for the engaged couple as it is a requirement.  The mentor couple will contact the engaged couple to set up the first meeting.

A retreat will help prepare couples on subjects such as spirituality, sexuality, communication, inter-faith issues, and finances. Couples may sign up for a weekend retreat at any time; they do not have to wait until they have secured a wedding date.

Retreat dates can be found here on the Diocese of St. Cloud 

Artificial birth control is not an option for Catholics. Natural Family Planning offers a scientific, moral, and healthy means to delay or achieve pregnancy.  Some medical insurance programs do cover these classes.  Couples may  sign up for these classes at any time; they do not have to wait until they have secured a wedding date.  You may attend a NFP class anywhere as long as you are learning how to use NFP and not just what it is.  Refer to the NFP link below for a list of classes

Catholics are bound to observe a certain form of marriage ritual in order that their marriage be valid. Canon law—the law of the Church—requires that Catholics enter into marriage by free mutual consent that is witnessed in a church by an authorized bishop, priest, or deacon and at least two other witnesses. Marriages in which one or both parties are Catholic and which are not witnessed by an authorized bishop, priest, or deacon, or which do not receive proper permission to take place in another forum, are considered invalid in the eyes of the Church.

It may be that the Catholic who entered into marriage outside the Church did not realize that these requirements existed, but more often, it is because one or both of the spouses was not free to marry in the Catholic Church because of a previous marriage or because they were awaiting an annulment.  Also, the Catholic partner(s) may not have been active in the Church and did not consider having a Catholic wedding.

The Church very much wants to assist these couples who later want to enter into valid Catholic marriage, and it offers them pastoral and spiritual support as they need it. When these couples are ready and free to do so, they celebrate what is called a convalidation, from the Latin word meaning “to firm up” or “to strengthen.” This is sometimes referred to as the blessing of a marriage.

It is important to realize that a convalidation is not merely a renewal of vows made previously but is a new act of consent by each spouse. This new act of consent is essential to marriage, and the words that the couple expresses are the outward sign of the gift of self that they exchange. This convalidation of marriage may be celebrated within Mass or outside of Mass, again depending on the particular situation of the couple. If both are Catholic, it is fitting that the convalidation be celebrated within Mass. If one spouse is not, it is preferable that it be celebrated outside of Mass.

Customarily, since the couple’s married life is a known and public fact and may have been so for many years, a simple celebration with an invitation to close family and friends may seem more appropriate than a large celebration. 

Canon law requires proper preparation for entering the Sacrament of Matrimony.  Please contact the parish office for more information or to start preparation for convalidating your marriage.

If either of the engaged persons have been married previously (civilly or sacramentally), notification of a final declaration of nullity must be in hand in order to attest that there is not an impediment to a future marriage.  Because of the variables regarding the time it takes actually to complete a case, no future marriage may be scheduled in any Catholic Parish until the annulment procedure is completed.   While awaiting the outcome of the Tribunal’s actions, couples are advised to deepen their lives of faith and their relationship with Jesus Christ. Please contact the tribunal office (320) 251-6557 or the parish office for more information