To be married in the Catholic Church means far more than to have the wedding ceremony in a church building. Married life is seen in the context of the faith community. To be married in the Church means that a male and a female are joined together in a lasting covenant of love, living their dependence upon God's Grace all their lives with children being the fruit of their sacred covenant.
For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.
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Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up for her.
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Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up for her.
(Ephesians 5:25)
(Genesis 2:24)
Matrimony at Holy Family Parish
Since getting married at Holy Family Parish means celebrating the Sacrament of Matrimony and not simply having a wedding, the Parish provides the following guidelines for the observance of this special moment in a couple's lives:
(1) It is presumed that the bride or groom normally is a member of Holy Family Parish and that the Catholic party(ies) are practicing the faith.
(2) Those wishing to marry should notify the Parish Office by telephone at least six months before the wedding date with the following information: bride's name, mailing address, email address and telephone number; and groom's name, mailing address, email address, and telephone number; and date requested.
(3) After notifying the Parish Office, the couple planning to marry should expect to meet with a Holy Family priest or deacon shortly thereafter to make preparations for the celebration accordingly.
(4) Under the direction of a Holy Family priest or deacon, the couple will be required to take part in the Marriage Preparation Program (Pre-Cana) of the Archdiocese of Boston or a similarly approved program as part of their preparation for marriage. Click for details.
(5) There are many couples who are not members of Holy Family Parish who may wish to get married at Holy Family. Accommodations for such couples need to be be made with the approval of Holy Family's Parish Pastor and a letter of permission from one of the pastors of the couple's home parish.
(6) If the couple has a relative or a close friend who is a priest or deacon and would like to invite him to witness the marriage, they are able to do so with approval of Holy Family's Parish Pastor. Couples should plan to discuss this when making preparations with the Holy Family Parish priest or deacon so that the necessary permissions, both legal and ecclesiastical, can be obtained. If one of the parties is a member of a Protestant Church, his or her minister, with Holy Family's Parish Pastor's approval, can be a participant in the wedding ceremony. Particulars need to be worked out with a Holy Family priest or deacon when arranging the wedding ceremony.
(7) The couple to be married must obtain a license in Massachusetts within 60 days of the wedding celebration and presented to the Parish, two weeks prior to the wedding. In order that a license be considered valid, it cannot be less than one week or more than sixty days old prior to the marriage. Please consult a physician or the town clerk regarding blood testing.
Additionally, information as it relates to the specific of a Catholic Wedding, including choosing the form of the wedding, Scripture readings, wedding music, vows, roles for family and friends and other liturgical elements, as well as creating a Catholic wedding program and dealing with the details, can be found at Catholic Wedding Help. Any and all choices as such may relate to the Church wedding ceremony at Holy Family need to be discussed with the priest or deacon making preparations with the couple and are subject to the Holy Family Parish Pastor's approval.
Prior to the wedding a rehearsal time will be assigned. Please be on time in consideration of all those involved.
During the months before a couple's wedding, the faith community of Holy Family Parish will pray for the deepening and strengthening of the couple's love relationship and for their continual spiritual growth.
For its wealth of marriage-building tools, please visit For Your Marriage, sponsored by the U.S. Catholic bishops' pastoral initiative on marriage.
(1) It is presumed that the bride or groom normally is a member of Holy Family Parish and that the Catholic party(ies) are practicing the faith.
(2) Those wishing to marry should notify the Parish Office by telephone at least six months before the wedding date with the following information: bride's name, mailing address, email address and telephone number; and groom's name, mailing address, email address, and telephone number; and date requested.
(3) After notifying the Parish Office, the couple planning to marry should expect to meet with a Holy Family priest or deacon shortly thereafter to make preparations for the celebration accordingly.
(4) Under the direction of a Holy Family priest or deacon, the couple will be required to take part in the Marriage Preparation Program (Pre-Cana) of the Archdiocese of Boston or a similarly approved program as part of their preparation for marriage. Click for details.
(5) There are many couples who are not members of Holy Family Parish who may wish to get married at Holy Family. Accommodations for such couples need to be be made with the approval of Holy Family's Parish Pastor and a letter of permission from one of the pastors of the couple's home parish.
(6) If the couple has a relative or a close friend who is a priest or deacon and would like to invite him to witness the marriage, they are able to do so with approval of Holy Family's Parish Pastor. Couples should plan to discuss this when making preparations with the Holy Family Parish priest or deacon so that the necessary permissions, both legal and ecclesiastical, can be obtained. If one of the parties is a member of a Protestant Church, his or her minister, with Holy Family's Parish Pastor's approval, can be a participant in the wedding ceremony. Particulars need to be worked out with a Holy Family priest or deacon when arranging the wedding ceremony.
(7) The couple to be married must obtain a license in Massachusetts within 60 days of the wedding celebration and presented to the Parish, two weeks prior to the wedding. In order that a license be considered valid, it cannot be less than one week or more than sixty days old prior to the marriage. Please consult a physician or the town clerk regarding blood testing.
Additionally, information as it relates to the specific of a Catholic Wedding, including choosing the form of the wedding, Scripture readings, wedding music, vows, roles for family and friends and other liturgical elements, as well as creating a Catholic wedding program and dealing with the details, can be found at Catholic Wedding Help. Any and all choices as such may relate to the Church wedding ceremony at Holy Family need to be discussed with the priest or deacon making preparations with the couple and are subject to the Holy Family Parish Pastor's approval.
Prior to the wedding a rehearsal time will be assigned. Please be on time in consideration of all those involved.
During the months before a couple's wedding, the faith community of Holy Family Parish will pray for the deepening and strengthening of the couple's love relationship and for their continual spiritual growth.
For its wealth of marriage-building tools, please visit For Your Marriage, sponsored by the U.S. Catholic bishops' pastoral initiative on marriage.
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A Special Blessing
Marriage is so much more than just a permanent commitment. It is the place where a man and a woman seek-and find-deep union with each other. It is where spouses cooperate with God in the creation of new life. It is a channel of divine Grace, and a place of life-long support and love-love which is a beacon of God's Own love for us, a testament of faith to the world. A Special Blessing
The bride and groom, who are seeking all the Grace they can obtain for the fulfillment of their vocation, will want to exchange the vows of Matrimony within a Nuptial Mass. The Nuptial Mass is a special Mass with a very special blessing which the Church provides in her liturgy for those who are embarking upon the holy vocation of marriage.
Within the Nuptial Mass,the couple is dedicating themselves to God as cooperators in His work of creation and redemption, as a little "church-within-a-church" in the Mystical Body of Christ.
A Catholic couple, both esteeming marriage as a vocation under God, receiving the Sacrament of Matrimony after a meaningful courtship in which prayer and the sacraments have kept God close, kneeling together to receive Holy Communion at their Nuptial Mass-there is a marriage upon which they, and all who love them, can pin their hopes.
(Father Leo Trese)
Video: courtesy of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Monsignor John Zenz, Archdiocese of Detroit: speaker.
