For Newly Engaged Couples

Congratulations to you from the entire parish community as you enter the very important time of engagement prior to your celebrating the Sacrament of Marriage.  Engagement has very specific, definite, and legitimate purposes to it.  Primarily it is an extended period of deep prayer and reflection, of preparation to commit yourselves to the religious vocation of Christian marriage.

Sadly, too often in our contemporary society the engagement period becomes mostly a hectic time devoted almost exclusively to planning a wedding.  And planning a wedding in our society often means trying to meet the expectations of peers, florists, photographers, printers, reception hall managers, caterers, and fashion designers!

Our parish wants to help you keep everything in the right and proper perspective as you prepare yourself for sacramental marriage and for the wedding liturgy which publicly seals your love for one another in the love of Christ.

On this page we are presenting you with a link.  As a couple you are strongly encouraged to read the material carefully and discuss it between yourselves.  You will find that the material presented to you in this link will answer many of your questions and give you a lot to think about, pray about, and talk about with one another.

The material in this link is the basis for conversations you will have with a married couple from the parish community who will invite you to their home, and with the parish priest or parish staff member.  Additional preparation for entering into the vocation of marriage will be provided for you through the required pre-marriage program offered by the diocesan Church through the agency of Catholic Charities.

All of this material and the time we will devote to you in your preparation reflect that the Catholic Church truly considers marriage to be very sacred.  Its preparation and celebration is necessarily surrounded with great care.  The commitment you make to each other is a very holy commitment.

Here follows a general check-list of things to do, before "I do".

·        Make an appointment with the parish priest to set a tentative date for your wedding.  Never presume that parish facilities or parish staff are available without first meeting with the parish priest.

·        Request from the parish office a copy of the schedule for the area pre-marriage classes.  Follow the directions for pre-registering for your required participation in those classes.

·        Meet with the parish priest or parish staff person to complete the pre-nuptial investigation form.  Each of you will need a copy of your baptismal certificate from the church of your baptism to complete this form.

·        Spend time as a couple reading and discussing "Marriage in Christ:  The Sacrament of Faithful, Lifelong Love" and the parish guide for planning a wedding at Immaculate Conception.  These materials will be provided to you in printed form. You will also be provided with a copy of "Celebrating Marriage, Preparing the Wedding Liturgy, A Workbook for Engaged Couples."

·        You will be introduced to a sponsor couple after one of our weekend parish liturgies.  That sponsor couple will arrange with you for a mutually agreeable time when you will visit them in their home and converse with you about the blessings and the challenges of living out the  sacrament of marriage.

·        Pray together and select the Scripture readings you may want proclaimed at your wedding liturgy.  From the many options you will see in the workbook, "Celebrating Marriage, Preparing the Wedding Liturgy,"  you can start completing the Planning Sheet in the Parish Guidelines to begin shaping your wedding liturgy. 

·        Meet with the parish priest to review all of the liturgical planning for your wedding liturgy and make whatever adjustments may be required.

 ·       Don't get overwhelmed by what is asked of you.  Remember, the parish staff is ready to help you at every step in your preparation for entering marriage and preparing and celebrating a Catholic wedding liturgy.

Planning A Wedding At Immaculate Conception Parish (.pdf format)

Sources:

Celebrating Marriage: Preparing the Wedding Liturgy, A Workbook for Engaged Couples, revised edition, Paul Covino, Editor, Pastoral Press, Portland, OR

Saying Amen: A Mystagogy of Sacrament, Ch. 6 "Marriage and Vocation," Archdiocese of Chicago Liturgy Training Publications, Chicago, IL

Marriage in Christ, The Sacrament of Faithful, Lifelong Love, Bishop John F. Kinney, Bishop of St. Cloud, MN