Arrangements must be made with a priest at least 6 months in advance. You must be a registered parishioner of San Marco Parish and have been attending Mass for at least three months.
Were you married outside the Catholic Church? We’re happy to help you navigate the process of getting your marriage blessed in the Church. Please call the parish office.
“Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision of “the wedding-feast of the Lamb.” Scripture speaks throughout of marriage and its “mystery,” its institution and the meaning God has given it, its origin and its end, its various realizations throughout the history of salvation, the difficulties arising from sin and its renewal “in the Lord” in the New Covenant of Christ and the Church.”
– Catechism of the Catholic Church 1602
Our parish community rejoices with you as you plan your wedding. We will try to make your wedding day as meaningful and beautiful as possible.
It sometimes happens that people can become a little distant from the Church during early adulthood. If this has happened to you, we hope that planning your Marriage in the Church will help you get back in touch with the roots of your faith.
If you have been away for a while, please come home. Talk to the priest planning your wedding. You will find him understanding and compassionate and ready to help you return to the Sacraments of your Church. We want to help you feel at home again in the Church and rediscover the richness and the beauty of belonging to a faith community. We need your presence and participation now so that we will be a home for you as well as for your children and grandchildren many generations into the future.
If you have been close to the Sacraments all your life, we rejoice with you.
Setting the date and time
We ask that you contact us at least SIX months before your wedding date. This gives us the opportunity to plan with love and care. Six months also provides the necessary time for all diocesan requirements to be fulfilled.
Weddings are given three (3) hour time blocks to ensure that the wedding party is not rushed, avoiding any compromise to the solemnity of the Sacrament.
Planning with the Priest
All plans relating to your Church wedding must be made with a priest. Please call for an appointment when you are ready to begin the planning process.
In most cases, the priest you first speak with will be the priest who will take care of the paperwork and celebrate your wedding. Please communicate with that priest only. Dealing directly with the “contact priest” will minimize any miscommunication.
When the Celebrant is a Visiting Priest
We always welcome priest/deacon friends or relatives whom you invite to celebrate your wedding.
Any priest or deacon outside of the Diocese of Venice who is asked to witness and celebrate the Sacrament must receive permission from the Diocese of Venice to do so. The standard protocol is that the Bishop of the priest/deacon (if the priest is an order priest, his Abbot) write a letter that the officiate is in good standing with his diocese/order. This letter then is sent with any/all necessary paperwork to the Diocese of Venice. Once again, this is a regulation which cannot and will not be overlooked. Thus, it is imperative that the couple and the preparation priest be fastidious and timely with the required material.
Requirements
If the bride is from another parish, she will need a letter of permission from the Pastor of her parish to be married at San Marco Catholic Church by one of our priests.
Please see the below links for further information:
Wedding guidelines – final January 2015-a