home page
applications
LOGIN
|
|
home page |
applications |
LOGIN |
| You are not logged in. Access is limited. Login or see membership information. • Marriage Preparation Programs | |
|
Featured Links »
SPECIAL EVENTS
|
Both the Diocese of Fall River and the Parish of St. Bernard have programs of marriage preparation. The Catholic churches of our area requires that couples contemplating marriage contact the church no later than eight months before the proposed wedding. In the diocesan preparation track, a couple has a choice between the ENGAGED ENCOUNTER WEEKEND and the classes of the MARRIAGE PREPARATION COURSE. The Engaged Encounter weekend is held at the Family Life Center in Dartmouth. It is a highly effective weekend fostering deep communication between the couples. The Engaged Encounter is extremely popular with couples and comes highly recommended by those couples who choose this option. The classes of the Marriage Preparation Course are conducted in several local cities and towns. The format include one all-day class or the same material covered in two shorter sessions. In addition, there is a special program for couples in which one or both of the partners have been previous married. The format of the Marriage Preparation Course and location you choose is entirely up to you. There is a brochure explaining the diocesan programs in more detail. If it is more convenient for you, you and your partner may attend a marriage preparation course conducted by another diocese. Proposed dates can only be set in person with the Parish Priest. Weddings cannot be scheduled, even tentatively, over the telephone or through a third party. We can, however, tell anyone over the telephone whether or not a particular date is still available. The parish is able to provide for weddings any day of the week. Saturday weddings can be held up to 2:00 p.m. and after 5:30 p.m. Sunday weddings can to be held after 1:00 p.m. Wedding plans can not be made until both parties are free to enter marriage according to the church law. Normally, the parish church is the setting for weddings in which one or both of the parties is a parish member. The Diocese of Fall River does not give permission for weddings to take place in outdoor settings. In the case of the proposed marriage between a Catholic and an unbaptized person, it is possible to discuss having the marriage in a function hall or other secular building. In rare cases, permission is given for a Catholic to marry a Protestant before a Protestant minister. The Parish of St. Bernard asks that couples considering marriage meet a total of four times at the Rectory Office with the Parish Priest. Session One should be made as soon as you have decided on a date for you wedding. At Session One, basic information is taken and your date is tentatively entered into the parish schedule. Thereafter, no one else can be given your time slot. If you later find the need to make changes in your wedding plans, please notify the church at once. Also at Session One, couples complete the FOCCUS inventory (Facilitating Open Couple Communication, Understanding, and Study). FOCCUS takes between forty-five and sixty minutes to complete. Session Two is held at the rectory within four weeks of the initial meeting. The FOCCUS inventory is reviewed with the couple. Session Three is held at the rectory about six months before the proposed wedding. Be sure to bring to this meeting current copies of Baptismal certificates (dated within six months of the wedding) and Confirmation certificates for both you and you partner. If any of these sacraments were celebrated here at St. Bernard Church, we already have the original record and do not need a copy. The purpose of this third session is to complete the premarital form and to discuss more deeply the conditions, requirements, rights and responsibilities of the Sacrament of Marriage. If you have not already done so, you will probably want to schedule your wedding rehearsal at this time. The Fourth Session should be held about one month before the ceremony. The church will provide you with a booklet beforehand to facilitate your wedding ceremony planning. The purpose of the Fourth Session is to review your plans for the ceremony -- the Bible readings, hymns, prayers, etc. If you have requested permission for a visiting priest to conduct the wedding ceremony, it is best to hold this session with him. You will need to bring your planning work sheet completed to the fourth session. You will probably also want to meet separately with your musicians to plan appropriate liturgical music for the ceremony. If you are planning to have organ music, you will need to contact the parish organist, Denise Weaver. Be sure the priest who will be presiding at your wedding is aware of the liturgical music you have chosen well before the day of the ceremony. The rehearsal is normally held a day or two before the wedding. At the rehearsal should be anyone who has an active part to play in the ceremony -- the principals, parents, ushers, bridesmaids, readers, etc. Please advise your party to arrive on time. The rehearsal usually takes less than one hour. The civil marriage license and any church fees should be presented at the time of the rehearsal.
|
