Congratulations! You have decided you want to share your lives together and that you wish to have God’s blessing upon your marriage.

We at St. James are here to help you in any way we can so that you have the best possible foundation for your married life and to make your wedding day as joyful as possible.

During this preparation period you should pray for a successful and life-long commitment to each other. Below you will find a number of things which you need to know about the Sacrament of Marriage; the Church’s rules regarding marriage and the practical details of organizing a wedding ceremony. Use this period of preparation as a real opportunity to examine how you view marriage in the context of your Christian life – a wedding lasts a day; marriage is for a lifetime, and it is marriage for which you are preparing

Problems often arise when some of the advance planning takes place before consulting the parish, where there may be conflict with established Diocesan or Parish Policy. We follow Diocesan Guidelines for what are titled “special circumstances”: e.g., pregnancy, unwillingness to prepare for marriage, lack of openness to faith, serious lack of maturity, teenage marriage, separation of the couple for an extended period of time before or after the wedding, or failure to fulfill the requirements of Church Law.

If there are any questions you want to ask, details you need clarified or points you want to raise, remember our priests are here to assist you.

Canon Law and Diocesan Regulations

At lease four-(4) month’s notice of a proposed marriage is required.

If both parties are Catholic, they must be practicing Catholics. Minimum requirements for being registered and active are a) attendance at Sunday Mass, b) supporting your parish through the use of your envelopes, c) and/or participating in some form of ministry in the parish. (A list of our ministries is available at the church office.) You will be required to present a current baptismal certificate (i.e., one issued in the previous six months). We include a sample letter requesting a baptismal certificate from the church of your Baptism. This certificate should also include information about your First Communion and Confirmation.

With a letter from their respective Pastors, couples who are not parishioners may receive permission to celebrate the Sacrament at St. James