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.