Matrimony

"More than any other human relationship, that of husband and wife most clearly reflects the unity and fruitful love which exists between Christ and his Church." 
                                                                                                Ephesians 5:32
 

CELEBRATING THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE
AT THE CATHEDRAL OF OUR LADY OF WALSINGHAM

Congratulations on your engagement! The clergy and staff of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham take seriously the Sacrament of Matrimony and strive to offer an in-depth marriage formation in order to provide a solid foundation with which to begin your lifelong partnership. Due to the nature of our formation process, we require that either the bride or groom or both has been an active, registered parishioner who regularly attends Sunday Mass for at least 3 months before beginning our marriage formation process.*

Your preliminary step toward celebrating the Sacrament of Matrimony at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham is to register for a Sacrament of Matrimony orientation which is held each 3rd Monday of the month (February - November) at 6:30pm in St. Jude Hall.  You will meet with our Coordinator of Liturgical Events, Marriage Formation Coordinators, NFP instructors and Sacramental Records Administrator, who will guide you through the 9-12 month process.  Please note that a written confirmation of an approved wedding date will be sent to you by our Sacramental Records Administrator after you have completed Phase I. 

You will complete the following 4 distinct and sequential phases:

Preliminary Phase - Attend Marriage Orientation (9-12 months prior to wedding)
Complete Preliminary Wedding Information Form which will be discussed at the orientation session. Please send completed form to our Sacramental Records Administrator, Catalina Brand at [email protected] 

Phase I - Establish Canonical Freedom to Marry (9-12 months prior to wedding)

To establish your freedom to marry, the documents and tasks, listed in bold, must be obtained, completed, and submitted by the bride and groom. During phase I, you will meet with the Sacramental Records Administrator, who will assist you with gathering documents, and you will meet with clergy, who will review these documents as well as complete a prenuptial interview. During this process, it will be determined if specific permissions or dispensations are required.

Baptismal Certificate (must include notations for Catholic party)
Birth Certificate
Prenuptial Interview
Affidavits of Freedom to Marry 
Permission/Dispensation (if necessary)
Choose Mentor Couple 
Confirmation of Wedding Date following completion of Phase I

Phase II - Immediate Marriage Formation (9-12 months prior to wedding)

We strive to offer an in-depth marriage formation in order to provide a solid foundation with which to begin your lifelong partnership. We utilize Witness to Love which is a unique virtue-based system of marriage formation which forms engaged couples for a sacramental marriage and fosters their transition into a welcoming community of faith before and after they are married. Mentor couples are an integral portion of your marriage formation and you will be given guidelines on how to choose your own mentor couple. NOTE: Your wedding date will be set after you and your mentor couple have agreed to enter the formation process. The Witness to Love process requires at least 8 months to complete. Our hope is that you and your mentor couple will continue to meet for years to come.  

The Catholic Church supports the methods of Natural Family Planning (NFP) because we respect God's design for married love. Couples are required to complete NFP training prior to marriage. 

Additionally, during this phase, you will complete FOCCUS - Facilitating Open Couple Communication, Understanding and Study which is a self-diagnostic inventory designed to help couples learn more about themselves and their unique relationship. It is not a test nor is it meant to be a predictor of success or failure in marriage. It is an instrument to help couples name and work through issues before marriage.

The following taskes and documents will be completed and submitted during Phase II. 

Witness to Love Marriage Formation Sessions with Mentor Couple 
FOCCUS Assessment and Completion Certificate 
NFP Training and Completion Certificate

 Phase III - Wedding Day Plans (4-6 months prior to wedding)

During Phase III, you will meet with our Liturgical Events Coordinator who will guide you through choosing Scripture readings, Hymns, rehearsal and reception details, wedding booklet as well as our facility policies and fees. 

* If you would like to get married at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham, and the bride and groom are not canonical members of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter and parishioners of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham, permission from the proper pastor of either the bride or groom to marry outside their parish must be obtained in writing. Additionally, Establish Freedom to Marry (Phase I) and Marriage  Formation (Phase II) must be completed in your home parish. We require a letter from your pastor stating that you have completed your parish marriage formation and copies of all documents must be submitted to our Sacramental Records Administrator at least one month prior to the wedding date and regular progress updates must be given to our Marriage Formation Coordinators with your marriage formation being completed at least one month prior to the wedding date. You will complete Wedding Day Plans (Phase III) with our Director of Liturgy and our Director of events if your wedding reception is taking place at OLW.