Matrimony joins two people in marriage for a lifetime of dedication to each other's well-being and the well-being of their children and the community.
The Sacrament of Matrimony is usually celebrated on Friday evening, Saturday morning or early afternoon. Call the Parish Office at least six months prior to the intended wedding date to schedule an interview and arrange for pre-marriage instruction. Registration in the parish is required.
Music arrangements for weddings are arranged through the Director of Music.
(Catholics who have remarried, but not by a Catholic priest or deacon are encouraged to have their marriage recognized as a Sacrament. Please call the Parish Office for further details.)
ARRANGEMENTS FOR MARRIAGE
Since we are frequently asked questions about arranging for weddings, we provide
the following information. We hope this information is helpful in answering questions
about making arrangements for marriage. If anyone has additional questions, please
feel free to call the Parish Office.
Who can be married at St. Andrew Church?
Any Roman Catholic party, who is (1) of age and (2) free to marry, (3) who is a
registered member of St. Andrew Church, and (4) who is seeking to marry a partner
who is of age and free to marry, can arrange to celebrate his or her wedding in
our Church. Wedding arrangements need to be made at least six months prior to the
desired date.
Parties recently registered in the parish, who do not live within our parish boundaries
or belong to a family already registered in the parish, need to be aware that we
cannot schedule a wedding date for six months after the time of registration. The
normal six month preparation period would apply from that point.
Must both parties be Catholic?
No. Though the Catholic Church, like most churches, has a strong preference for
marriages between members of the Catholic faith, Catholics are free to marry persons
of any faith, or of no faith, as long as both parties are free to marry (i.e., there
is no existing bond from a prior marriage), and are of suitable age. If any bond
from a prior marriage exists, whether the person involved is Catholic or not, this
must be cleared up before a wedding date can be scheduled.
Can a wedding be scheduled for less than six months?
It is the policy in Catholic churches throughout the State of Michigan that there
will be a period of at least six months between the scheduling of a wedding and
the date of the wedding. At the judgment of the priest, a longer period may be set (e.g. if one or both of the parties are teenagers).
The priest has some discretion to shorten this period slightly when there is sufficient
reason. It would be unusual for a priest to do so without knowing at least one partner
in advance fairly well. The priest has the responsibility to assure that adequate
preparation is completed prior to the wedding. Pregnancy, when no prior plans for
marriage have been set, is not a reason to shorten the preparation period.
Where can weddings be celebrated?
Weddings at St. Andrew Church are normally celebrated in our Church or Chapel. At
times, when scheduling permits, priests from St. Andrew Parish will participate
in weddings in other churches (e.g. in a Protestant Church when one of the parties
is Protestant). It would be very rare, and only under very particular circumstances,
that weddings would be celebrated outside a church.
Priests assigned to St. Andrew Parish cannot make commitments to perform weddings
for parishioners in other churches or chapels until six months prior to the marriage,
when it can be determined that they do not have a responsibility for a wedding service
at St. Andrew Church.