Married couples are a sacramental sign to the world of God’s love and faithfulness. To be married in the Church is a sign to the community at large that the bride and groom are persons of faith and they wish God’s blessing on their marriage. Your desire for a church wedding reflects your commitment to your faith and practice.
Marriage Prep Information
Because marriage is such an important and sacred step in your lives, reflective preparation is essential. This preparation is a discernment process in which the irrevocable consent of the sacrament may be freely chosen, maturely considered, and clearly understood. Your presider will offer guidance for selecting a marriage prep program, to prepare yourselves for the commitment of marriage.
To give yourselves plenty of time to prepare for the sacrament of Marriage, please choose a date no less than 6 months out – it is preferable to give yourselves a full year.
Active parishioners and non-parishioners may be married in a Riverview Catholic church if both are free to marry and at least one party is a practicing Catholic. An active member of our parish family is one who is registered at Christ the King, Holy Cross – Immaculata, St Rose of Lima or St Stephen and is known by or has met Fr Adam (preferably after Mass). Wedding couples who are not parishioners at one of the Riverview Catholic churches are asked to make arrangements for a presider for their wedding. It is the responsibility of the wedding couple to secure the celebrant for their wedding.
Riverview catholic Parishes follow the guidelines of the Roman Catholic Church and the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for the celebration of weddings. All priests and deacons must use the official “Order of Celebrating Matrimony,” effective December 28, 2016. The priest or deacon who is officiating at your wedding will compile your wedding file. It is the couple’s responsibility to complete the required preparation programs and submit all necessary documents.
The WEDDING FILE shall include:
- a recently issued Baptismal Certificate – contact the Church where you were baptized
- a letter of permission to marry at our church from the parish where you are registered (Non-Riverview Catholic parishioners only)
- a completed Prenuptial Investigation (M-1) Form.
Additional dispensations documents may be required. - Certificate of completion from the Archdiocesan Pre-Cana Program, the Regnum Christi Marriage Prep Retreat, or the Engaged Encounter Weekend
- Certificate of completion from a Natural Family Planning course.
- Completed and reviewed FOCCUS (Facilitating Open Couple Communication Understanding & Study) or similar questionnaire, sent via your parish. Your presider or a couple from the parish will meet with you to encourage discussion in the areas where different responses were indicated and to share their own life experiences.
If either party has been married before, the parish must first receive a letter from the couples’ pastor or deacon stating that they are free to marry before the wedding can be scheduled. NO EXCEPTIONS. For an annulment, contact the pastor from the church where you are registered.
Couples registered outside the Archdiocese of Cincinnati will comply with all requirements of the respective (arch)diocese. Your completed marriage file will be forwarded to the local (arch)diocese and in turn forwarded to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. Couples are urged to track their file through this process to ensure receipt by our church before the wedding.
A civil marriage license is required in the state of Ohio. Once the license is issued, it is only valid for 60 calendar days. If you live in Ohio, you are required to obtain the marriage license in the county where you live. Couples who do not reside in the State of Ohio are required to obtain their marriage license at the Hamilton County Probate Court. The marriage license must be given to the celebrant or the wedding coordinator at the rehearsal.
An initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, ForYourMarriage.org offers a large variety of information related to marriage in general as well as Catholic marriage in particular.
Interested in getting Married at a Riverview Church?
Photos by Nikayla & Co