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Marriage

Plan Your Christian Marriage Ceremony at Our Local Catholic Church

We are so glad for you as you begin to prepare for the Sacrament of Marriage in our Roman Catholic community of Immaculate Conception, Glenville, St Joseph, Scotia and Our Lady of Grace in Ballston, Lake, NY.  

 

It is our hope that you will find the information here to be helpful as you plan this important step in your spiritual journey.  Please know you are in our prayers as you begin to celebrate this milestone in your lives. 

Start planning your Christian marriage today—contact us to learn more about availability, requirements, and how we can help make your dream wedding a reality.
Wedding couple holding bouquet

Registered parishioners who wish to celebrate their marriage at our Tri-Parish Churches are asked to contact the Parish Office at least six months prior to the anticipated date and before any other arrangements have been finalized. 

First Steps

  1. Please do not plan a date until you have spoken to the parish office of the Church you plan on being married in.  This is to avoid a conflict with anything already scheduled.  Definitely do not plan a date if either of you have been married in anyway.  This needs to be explored by you and the celebrant. 

  2. You will be asked to meet at least once with the priest you are asking to be the officiant.   

    • First meeting 

      • Please bring a copy of your baptismal certificate dated in the last six months.  You must call the Church you were   baptized in, tell them you are getting married, and they will know what to do.  If there is a previous marriage: bring a       copy of the your divorce degree, annulment decree (if obtained), and a copy of the marriage license if possible.        

    • The initial paper work for the diocese will be filled out and a discussion about how you met, etc. 

      • You will be given some initial information about how the Sacrament of Marriage is celebrated.  You may also be given a copy of the readings that the Church uses for the celebration of the Sacrament. 

  3. You will be required to go through a Pre-Cana program.  If you choose a program, then you will beed to provice a certificate of completion.  More information will be available at the first meeting 

  4. To be married in the Roman Catholic, at least one person needs to be Roman Catholic.  In the event that one person is from another Christian a community, non Chrisitan community or of no faith, the celebrant will need to apply to the diocese for permission to witness the marriage.  It is important to know that the Roman Catholic party will be asked to raise any children in the Roman Catholic faith.  What faith a child will be raised in needs to be discussed prior to the marriage by the couple to avoid later conflict. 

  5. As part of your marriage preparation, you are asked to be attending the Sunday Mass on a regular basis and practicing the Catholic faith.  You are asking God to join you and having marriage based in faith will be a pillar of a healthy and sacred marriage.  Marriage, for us, is a sacred reality and not something to be entered into lightly.  It is a sacred covenant before God. 

 
Wedding

Who can preside at a marriage?

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  1. ​Usually, one of the priests that pastor our parishes will be preside or one of our deacons. 

  2. However, if you have another priest or deacon from the Diocese of Albany that you know and you wish to preside, just inform the person you meet with.   Usually, if they are available, this is not a problem. 

  3. If you know someone from outside the Albany diocese who is a priest or deacon, they are required to submit a letter of suitability from their diocese.  If they cannot produce that then they will not be allowed to preside.  This is a diocesan norm and cannot be ignored. 

 

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Marriage License 

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You are required to obtain a New York State marriage license from any city, town, or village office.  DO NOT get this until two to three weeks BEFORE the wedding.  You both need to go together to obtain it.  Without the license, you will not be able to get married.  You will asked to bring it to the rehearsal.  The celebrant is responsible to return it to the state.  If your presider is not from New York State, he is responsible to obtain the civil permission to marry in New York State.

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Place of the Marriage 

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A wedding between two Roman Catholics is normally in the church because the Church is the sacred place of our faith and our Sacraments are celebrated in this sacred place. In extraordinary circumstances, the marriage ceremony, not the Nuptial Mass, can be celebrated outside of the Roman Catholic Church.  However, this happens in very extraordinary circumstance.  The priest or the deacon will make the determination and then apply for the permission from the Bishop that is required.  You maybe asked to write a letter to the Bishop requesting this permission.  The Bishop will make the final decision. 

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Witnesses​

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The Church and the State require that you have two witnesses and the celebrant for the marriage.  Usually, it is the best man and the maid of honor. But, it can any two people of your choosing.  They do not need to be Roman Catholic.  They must be old enough to be able to testify in court about the ceremony according to New York State law. Canon law has the same requirement.  

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Music​

Depending on the church you are having the wedding, you will need to contact the musician of that parish at least six months  before the marriage.  Our musicians will be your contact for the music and normally are used for the music.  It will be their decision to bring in another musician.  They will still charge their fee to meet with another musician, be available for technical support,  rehearsal time if needed, and any other extra items that maybe requested. 

 

You are reminded that the music at the wedding ceremony must be of a sacred nature.  The rule of thumb is this:  you do not want us to sing Amazing Grace at the reception so a secular song is not appropriate in church.  It is not the Church does not like music, it is about that is appropriate where 

 

Our musicians will provide a program for the wedding if requested.

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Things to be aware of in the Church 

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  1. Please do not use a “runner” in the aisle for insurance reasons.  They can be slippery and a person can fall. 

  2. Also, candles on the individual pews is not allowed.  Flowers maybe place on the pews.  Please do not tape them to the pews. 

  3. Please do not throw rice or bird seed outside or inside the church.  People have slipped and have gotten injured, plus we have no one to clean it up after.  Out of respect for the environment, you are highly discouraged from releasing ballons, butterflies, etc. 

  4. FLOWERS:  Flowers are encouraged for the altar area.  No flowers can be put in the altar itself. 

  5. REHEARSAL will be scheduled with the presider.   Plan on at least one hour. 

  6. Please ask your guests to respect the sacred nature of our church.  Use of alcohol, marijuana, etc. is forbidden in the church.  IF a person is intoxicated in any way, they will be asked to leave. 

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Photography

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You are encourage to have a wedding without cell phone pictures, etc if you have hired a professional photographer.  Please have your photographer and videographer speak to the celebrant prior to the ceremony to instructed where they can stand, etc. 

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How the Sacrament of Marriage is Celebrated

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You have the option of two ways to celebrate your wedding: 

The Nuptial Mass  OR   The Liturgy of Marriage outside of Mass 

Below is the format of the liturgies:

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Nuptial Mass 

 

OPENING HYMN/MUSIC 

SIGN OF THE CROSS AND GREETING 

OPENING PRAYER 

LITURGY OF THE WORD (READINGS) 

HOMILY 

SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE 

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL 

LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST AND HOLY COM-

MUNION 

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION 

FINAL BLESSING 

RECESSIONAL ​

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The Liturgy of Marriage Outside of Mass  

 

OPENING HYMN/MUSIC 

SIGN OF THE CROSS AND GREETING 

OPENING PRAYER 

LITURGY OF THE WORD (READINGS) 

HOMILY 

SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE 

PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL 

NUPTIAL BLESSING 

OUR FATHER 

FINAL BLESSING 

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You will be able to choose the readings from the Sacred Scripture that the Church provides for marriage and choose the readers.  You will be given the readings.  You will be able to choose a reader for the prayer of the faithful. If you are having a nuptial Mass, then you can choose to have 2 people bring up the bread and wine.  If someone is an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, then they can help with the distribution of Holy Communion. 

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Regarding the Ceremony

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PLEASE BE ON TIME.  It is not fashionable to be late and maybe an time squeeze for the presider.  We cover three parishes. Please inform your guests that they are expected to act with reverence and respect for our sacred building.  How they dress and behave needs to respect our belief. 

We are here to work with you to ensure a joyful and prayerful celebration of this sacred ceremony.  Please do not wait to ask any questions.  We are here for you.  

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Rev. Thomas Konopka, St. Joseph's Pastor | thomas.konopka@rcda.org

Rev. Russell Bergman, Immaculate & Our Lady of Grace Pastor | russell.bergman@rcda.org

Kyle English, Immaculate Music Director | kenglish@olgicsj.org

Patty Neuman, Our Lady of Grace & St. Joseph's Music Director | pattygramwith2@gmail.com

Bouquet_edited.jpg

So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together,
let no one separate.

Matthew 19:6

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