Search
-
- To marry at All Saints, you must be at least 18 years of age.
- You must have been engaged for at least 6 months or at least dating your intended spouse for 8 months at the time of your marriage. A longer time is preferable.
- At least one of you must be a baptized and practicing Catholic Christian registered in our community. This means you are a practicing Catholic who takes seriously your attendance at Mass and your participation in the parish community.
- Neither of you should have been married before. You can be married in the Catholic Church if you have not been married before, are widowed, or the Church has annulled your former marriage.
- You should intend your marriage to be permanent, exclusive, and faithful.
- You must contact the Pastor at least 6 months before the desired date, preferably longer. No preparations should be made; no date should be set before you have spoken with the Pastor and Deacon. This is especially true when seeking an annulment or when there has been a recent divorce.
- Catholic parties are required to present a recent baptismal certificate issued from the church of baptism within 6 months prior to the marriage. You will also need to provide the date, place, and city for your First Communion and Confirmation. Non-Catholic parties will be asked for their approximate date and place of baptism if they have been baptized.
- All contacts regarding the wedding should be made by you, the prospective bride or groom. This is not your parent's wedding. Preparations should be according to your wishes, and contact with the Clergy or ministers should be made directly by you.
- In case of previous treatment of either or both parties for any mental, emotional, or nervous illness, you may be asked to provide a statement stating that you are ready for marriage and capable of making a lifetime commitment.
-
- The preparation for marriage:
- Begins with a meeting with the Pastor, who will give an overview of the marriage preparation process. He will discuss with you your readiness for marriage, and together, the three of you will decide if, indeed, you are ready for Christian marriage in the Catholic Church.
- Meeting with the Deacon to begin initial paperwork, assigning a Sponsor Couple, taking the FOCCUS pre-marital inventory, and picking a possible wedding date. You will also look at the rehearsal time and whether the ceremony will occur within the context of a Mass. The pre-marital inventory will be used by your Sponsor Couple in Marriage Preparation.
- Continues with 6 meetings on Sunday afternoons with sponsor couples: married couples who have been prepared to meet with you for discussion and input about married life at the Church and a Wedding Liturgy team.
- May also include additional meetings with the Priest or Deacon to discuss other aspects of Christian marriage.
- May include the Engaged Encounter weekend experience provided by our Archdiocesan Family Life Office.
- This will include filling out the necessary pre-nuptial forms and dispensations required by the Church.
- Will include an explanation of the wedding preparation booklet "Together for Life".
- Will also include a session on the planning of the actual wedding.
- If you are to marry in another church, Catholic or non-Catholic, you are still required to go through this process of preparation. Approval for a marriage before a minister and /or in another denomination will be secured by the Pastor from the Bishop.
- The wedding license, which may be secured in any county of the state of Texas, should be presented to the Pastor or Deacon before the wedding rehearsal. He will then sign the document and return it to the county clerk's office.