St. Thomas the Apostle Parish extends our congratulations on your engagement. We are blessed to have the opportunity to assist you during this sacred time of your life as you prepare to celebrate the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
Undoubtedly, you have many questions concerning your wedding arrangements. We know that both of you will take an active part in planning the liturgy of your wedding ceremony. Even more important than the preparations for your wedding day, are the preparations for your marriage. Your wedding day is precisely that – a day; your marriage, however, is a lifetime! When you commit yourselves to each other in Christian Marriage, in accordance with the laws of the Church, you administer a sacrament to each other. Marriage enables you to be a source of Divine Love, flowing from your love for each other and into the lives of your family. The sacred words and gestures of your wedding are the beginning of a great ministry of life- giving love, based on the Gospel, and dependent on the power of God’s grace at work within you to live your Sacrament always.
May this time of preparation for marriage be one of deepening love and understanding in your relationship with each other and with God. It is our hope that the following information will be helpful in preparing for the celebration of your life together in Christ.
All couples wishing to celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia must be registered in the parish and begin the marriage preparations at least 6 months prior to the wedding date.
The following applies to all weddings after January 1, 2022
Church and Civil Requirements
Baptismal Certificates: [dated no more than six (6) months prior to wedding]: If you are a baptized Catholic, you should contact the parish where you were baptized and ask for a certification of your Baptism that is dated no more than six months before your planned wedding. That parish will be familiar with this sort of request and should be able to send you the document within a couple of days. When you receive the certification, forward it promptly to the priest who is preparing you for your wedding.
Pre-Cana Program: In addition to your preparation with the priest, the Archdiocese requires all couples preparing for marriage to attend a Pre-Cana preparation program. There are a variety of programs available, including several programs offered through the Archdiocesan Family Life Office (www.archphila.org), e.g., Pre-Cana, Engaged Encounter. Presently, STA does not offer a parish-based preparation program. The priest who is preparing you will provide you with information regarding these approved programs. You must make your own arrangements to participate in one of these programs. You are welcome to attend sessions most convenient to your schedules. Please give a copy of the Pre-Cana certificate to the priest handling your marriage preparation.
Witness Testimony: As part of the preparation process, the priest will ask you to provide two written declarations by two different witnesses that you are free to marry your intended spouse. The priest will give you forms to use for this purpose. The witnesses should be members of your immediate family or other persons who have known you well through your adult years. The witnesses need not be Catholic. The declaration is signed by the witness and needs to be attested to by a Catholic priest/deacon at any convenient rectory location. Note the inter-diocesan procedure on the bottom of the Form, if that applies.
Fully Engaged Inventory is a Catholic catechetical premarital inventory designed to help engaged couples solidify the foundation upon which they, together with Christ, will build their Sacrament of Marriage. Grounded in Church teaching and loaded with catechetical content, this dynamic premarital inventory is a trustworthy guide that meets the real challenges today’s couples face. Fully Engaged helps couples to grow in their Catholic identity by smoothly integrating Church teaching into its materials.
Pre-Nuptial Investigation: The Pre-Nuptial investigation is completed by the priest or deacon preparing you for marriage. It consists of an interview and the obtaining of “witness testimony” by someone who can testify to your readiness to enter into the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. The Catholic Church law has requirements that must be met before any wedding is valid and lawful. These requirements are designed to protect the high value that the Church has for Christian marriage. During the face-to-face interview as a couple with the priest, you will get to know him, and vice versa as well as review all the preparatory details for a Catholic wedding.
Dispensations: If a couple who desires a Catholic marriage cannot meet any one of Church Law requirements, the couple may have to obtain a dispensation, or exception to the requirements. For instance, if a Catholic wishes to marry a person of another faith, the Catholic must request a dispensation from the local bishop. As part of the request, the Catholic party to such a marriage reaffirms his/her commitment to the Catholic faith and his/her intention to remain in that faith and promises to do what he/she can short of causing harm to the marriage relationship to raise any children of the marriage as members of the Catholic community. The priest who is preparing you for your wedding will determine whether you need any dispensation and, if so, will help you request it. If you need a dispensation, you must obtain the dispensation before your wedding can take place.
If you were married previously, a Declaration of Nullity must be provided at the time of your inquiry in order to demonstrate that you are now free to re-marry in the Catholic Church. This applies to all forms of previous marriage, whether by a judge, by a religious leader in another faith tradition, or common law.
Marriage License: It is your responsibility to obtain the civil license no more than two months (60 days) before your wedding date. Please give the marriage license to the Priest or deacon as soon as you obtain it for safekeeping. The parish will submit the license to the State in accordance with State law. A duplicate of the signed document will be given to you after the wedding.
Wedding Times
Ordinarily there is only one wedding scheduled per weekend: Friday at 5:00 PM or Saturday from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. Saturday confessions begin at 4:00 PM, so all wedding-related activities are expected to be completed by that time.
Photographs
Please remind your photographer/videographer to retain a sacred presence at your wedding ceremony. We ask that your photographer not be in the sanctuary. She/he is free to take pictures from the body of the church. If you are having pictures taken in the church after the ceremony, please remember another Church event may be scheduled. Please check with the Parish Office for availability.
Worship Aids (Wedding Booklets)
A worship aid can assist your guest to participate in your wedding. Since the preparation and printing of a worship aid is the couple’s responsibility, you are asked to coordinate your worship aid with the priest & music minister before printing. It is necessary to secure copyright permission if you include words to hymns. Copyright permissions are easily obtained at www.onelicense.net.
Flowers
In planning your floral arrangements, pleases follow these two guidelines: Keep the focus on the wedding liturgy. The prayers of the Church for your marriage are the key element in your wedding; you don't want to distract from the words and actions of the liturgy with flowers that block the assembly's view or get in the way of people involved in the wedding. Flowers are never placed on the altar or in front of the altar.
▪ Respect the church environment. Most parishes carefully plan the "environment" of their worship space, following guidelines established by the Vatican and the national or regional bishops' conference. There are statues, candles, and/or seasonal arrangements in place; these should not be altered or moved. The environment changes according to the seasons of the liturgical year; ask the priest how the church is likely to be decorated at the time of your wedding.
Please contact the Art & Environment Coordinator, Leona Swiacki at [email protected] before you finalize the arrangements with your florist. It is customary that the flowers remain in the Church after the wedding. Delivery times are scheduled 1 1⁄2 hours prior to the wedding Some couples save money on decorations by planning their wedding to coincide with a time or season when the church will receive some "extra" decoration. Our parish is beautifully decorated during the Advent, Christmas & Easter seasons.
Symbolic Ritual Actions
The Unity Candle or any other symbolic actions representing the joining of the couple in the Sacrament are not used. These items are NOT part of the Rite of Marriage. The primary ritual action of your wedding ceremony is the exchange of vows and rings. It is vital for the integrity of the Sacrament of Matrimony that we do not allow other symbolic actions to diminish the exchange of vows.
Aisle Runners
Since the main aisle of the church is carpeted, a runner is not used. Such runners can pose a slipping danger.
Confetti, Rice, Birdseed
We ask that you do not use confetti, rice, birdseed and flower petals as they can create a hazard on the pavement outside of church possibly causing your guests to slip. Thank you for understanding.