Congratulations on your engagement!

Marriage is a most sacred and therefore most serious union, as it bears witness to the love that Christ shows His Church from the Cross and it is the most intimate relationship that a couple can share in this life. We at Our Lady of Mercy are excited for you to grow in this love and understanding.

Getting Married at Our Lady of Mercy- Important Considerations

Celebrated within the parish family:
Sacramental marriage unites a man and a woman and brings together two families in a powerful witness to Christian faith within a Christian community. Because of these important factors, we recommend that prospective spouses receive the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony at the parish where they intend to live and to raise their family. Your desire to be married at Our Lady of Mercy should include a holistic commitment to the parish, through regular attendance at Mass and support of the life of the parish community. Neither you nor we want to reduce your important day to a venue choice or a mere backdrop for your wedding. We do make exceptions for those who have family ties to Our Lady of Mercy, or for those who were baptized here even if they have moved away.

Finding a Date:
A period of at least six months is required to prepare prospective spouses for sacramental marriage. Church requirements do not permit us to confirm a marriage date prior to completing canonical procedures, including paperwork. Please plan accordingly.

Freedom to Marry:
The capacity to enter the married state requires the freedom to give a complete and unconditional “yes” to another person. Freedom from other binding life commitments is also required. If there are any previous attempts at marriage in your history, these must be brought forward and examined carefully before taking any further steps. Please be assured that our priests are happy to assist you in the process of attaining an annulment or degree of nullity from a previous marriage if necessary.

Additional Considerations:
It is all too common in society today for couples to live together before marriage. This arrangement, commonly known as cohabitation, can obscure the capacity to discern marriage in freedom and eliminates many opportunities to grow in the virtues necessary to live the total self-gift required in marriage. If you find yourself in the arrangement of cohabitation, it is essential that you remove yourself from it as soon as possible.

Marriage Preparation

In order to help couples prepare for the rest of their lives together, Our Lady of Mercy offers a multi-faceted marriage preparation process. Our engaged couples will benefit from the widely acclaimed FOCCUS inventory, meetings with a mentor couple, training in Natural Family Planning, instruction in the vision and meaning of marriage, and personal meetings with their celebrant. Contact Theresa Czaplewski to begin the process: theresac@olmercy.com or 331-707-5374

Marriage Fees

It is customary to give the Church a stipend as a sign of your love, as well as to help offset the expenses of administration, utilities, and maintenance on the day of your wedding . At the time the wedding is scheduled (during your initial meeting with one of our priests) the church fee is required.

Please check out our Marriage Packet below for additional information:

Couples Seeking Convalidation/ “Marriage Blessing”

If the couple was not married by a Catholic priest (e.g. civil ceremony, judge, non-Catholic ceremony, independent chapels, etc.), they can speak with one of our priests about having their marriage “blessed” or convalidated. They are happy to assist.