Arranging a Marriage

 

Before getting married, the Church asks you to consider carefully the meaning and purpose of Christian Marriage and the obligations of married life.  Marriage is more than a human and legal contract. It is one of the Sacraments of the Church and must be approached with that thought in mind.

In order to arrange your marriage at English Martyrs' Church, you must contact Fr Tom who will be happy to discuss your requirements and answer any questions you may have.

You will need to undertake spiritual preparation and instruction on the teaching of the Church relating to marriage.

 If your spouse is not a Catholic, it is important to resolve any questions or doubts they may have. The priest must also be able  to verify that you are entering into marriage freely. 

St Thomas and the English Martyrs' Deanery runs a series of Marriage Preparation workshops; to book a place on the next series of workshops contact Fr Tom.

The Parish Office is open from 9am till 12.30pm weekdays,
however you are welcome to call in at other times.

Documents required: The priest will need to have a new Baptism certificate, and will also need to record personal and family details for the parish and civil registers. If one party is not Catholic, the priest will need to ask the Catholic party to sign an undertaking to have any children of the marriage baptised and brought up in the Catholic faith. It may also be necessary for you to obtain letters of freedom from any parish where you have lived since you were of age to marry.

Notifying the Registrar: You need to give notice to the Registrar in the district in which you live. To do this, you make an appointment to see the Registrar and then return to pick up a blue certificate for each party which must then be handed to the priest. (The registrar charges a fee for this notice.) Without this authorisation, the priest is not permitted to conduct the wedding. Notice can be given to the Registrar up to a year before the wedding and it is important to do this in good time once you have confirmed your arrangements with the priest.

Any questions: The priest will be very willing to answer any questions that you have relating to your wedding or any other matters to do with the life and teaching of the Catholic Church.

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