Congratulations! We are happy you have decided to marry at St. Christopher's Catholic Church.  We are thrilled to help you prepare for this sacrament and start you on your journey to a lifelong marriage!

To learn more, please contact the Parish Office.

Pre Cana classes are offered on a Saturday in the Spring and the Fall. For more information please contact the Parish Office.

Available Days/Times for Weddings:

The Sacrament of Marriage must be arranged six months ahead of time.

One of the couple must be a member of the parish.

The times for Saturday weddings are 10:00 am, 12:00 & 2:00 pm.

Friday evening weddings can also be arranged.

Rehearsals:

The day and time for your Rehearsal should be scheduled when selecting the wedding date. We encourage all couples to schedule a rehearsal in order to ensure that everyone participating in your Wedding Liturgy understands their role.

Rehearsals will not be held on Holidays.  All bridal attendants, family members and readers should be present at the rehearsal.  Wedding rehearsals are one hour long; please be on time.

The law that Catholics can only marry validly before a priest still holds. This has also been extended to Deacons, who may also witness a marriage. What does that mean for Catholics who want to have a destination wedding in places like Punta Cana or Jamaica? Unless they marry in a Catholic Church in those places, the marriage is invalid in the eyes of the Church, and would need to be validated when they return. This is commonly referred to as having the marriage blessed. Typically, those in an invalid marriage may not receive Holy Communion. That does not mean that those in invalid marriages are excommunicated. It simply means that they should not present themselves for Holy Communion until they are in a position to have their marriage validated by the Church. If there are no previous marriages involved, this is a fairly simple procedure. The couple gets a few documents together, meets with a priest or deacon, and arranges a time for a quiet service in Church when they exchange vows again. If there is a previous marriage involved, that spouse should talk to the priest or deacon to see if he/she can be a candidate for a declaration of nullity (commonly called annulment). If the first marriage was not conducted according to the laws of the Church, there is a summary procedure to declare the marriage null and void – even if it was a legal marriage. If the person seeking the declaration of nullity was previously married according to the laws of the Church, the priest or deacon can help you in your situation by explaining the declaration of nullity process. This service which used to carry a cost is now free of charge.
 
Dispensations: A dispensation is an exception to a general rule. Dispensations are granted for just reasons. For example, a Catholic man marries a devout Methodist woman. May the wedding take place in her church? As long as the Catholic person promises to continue living as a Catholic and to do all in his/her power to have the children baptized and raised as Catholics, a dispensation from the Catholic form of marriage can be granted. The basic requirement is that the marriage still must be held in a sacred place – for example, a Methodist Church. Such marriages in catering halls or outdoors are not permitted when the marriage involves two Christians. If marrying an unbaptized person, for example, a member of the Jewish faith, the marriage can take place in a neutral location like a restaurant or courtroom. Once again, the Catholic must promise to continue living as a Catholic and to baptize and raise all of his/her children in the Catholic faith.

  The bottom line is that because marriage is a sacrament, it must be treated with the utmost dignity. Remember also that the priest or deacon witnessing your marriage must be in good standing. Marriage before an ex-priest is never considered to be a valid marriage by the Church.