St. Augustine Parish - Marriage Preparation

St. Augustine Parish

Marriage Preparation

Contact: Parish Office at least a year in advance

Phone: (978) 475-0050

Marriage Preparation

If a couple would like to be married at St. Augustine's Parish, they should contact the parish office in person at least one year in advance. Engaged couples who wish to be married at St. Augustine's must regularly practice their faith. Individuals who were once parishioners and moved away, yet whose families still participate in parish life, may have their marriage solemnized in the parish. A well-planned marriage celebration will take at least a year of preparation.

Preparation for marriage involves these five steps:

Paperwork

This step involves gathering the paperwork necessary to perform the ceremony including Baptismal and Confirmation certificates, determining if there are previous marriages to consider or any obstacles to the marriage. A form, available online or at the parish office must be filled out to start the process.

Click here for preliminary form. Please fill out form online, print it, and bring to the Parish Office at: St. Augustine Church, 35 Essex St., Andover, MA 01810.

Communication Exercise

This step involves filling out a questionnaire with 140 questions geared toward determining how open communication is between the bride and groom. The questionnaire is graded by a computer and the results are sorted into ten different categories such as family, sexuality, etc. Each of the intended fills this questionnaire out separately and when the results are returned a meeting is arranged with a parish priest to discuss the areas where the couple disagree with each other.

Formal Marriage Preparation

For complete information regarding marriage preparation, please refer to the Archdiocesan web page at the Family Life Office. In this step the couple receives formal marriage preparation from the Church in these three phases:

Introductory Phase

Meetings with a priest or deacon in the church in order 1) to enhance or initiate your relationship with the Church, 2) to explain and invite you to reflect on and further appropriate the Church’s understanding of marriage, 3) to establish your freedom to marry, 4) to overview the whole preparation process, 5) and to invite you to live your married lives in communion with the Church.

Engaged Couple Workshops

These workshops provide the couple a chance to explore various areas of marriage and family life and consist of presentations, panels, and small group discussions. They are offered in many locations throughout the Archdiocese of Boston and in many different time formats. Visit The Family Life Office for a complete listing of times and locations.

Follow up Sessions (with priest or deacon)

This is an opportunity for you 1) to reflect on your experience of the Workshops, 2) to respond to any question or difficulties raised by the Workshop experience, 3) to be assisted in your ongoing appropriation of the Church’s understanding of marriage, 4) to plan (in final detail) the Wedding Mass or Ceremony, 5) to be encouraged in your regular practice of your faith, 6) and to ensure that all of the canonical and civil requirements for marriage are completed.

For additional information, please also see the US Bishop's web site on marriage at http://www.foryourmarriage.org.

Music Preparation

Monica Steele, director of the Music Ministry, will assist you in the hiring of musicians for your wedding, whether they be from inside or outside the parish. She is responsible for the content, supervision, and approval of the music for all weddings in the parish. All music must be liturgically approved. Contact Monica at (978) 475-0500.

The Music Ministry of St. Augustine's looks forward to becoming a part of your wedding celebration and will provide assistance to help you choose appropriate music. A wedding music selection form is available for your convenience.

We welcome your musical relatives and friends who sing. If you wish to have your own organist, we still require our organist's bench fee of $125 which is part of the annual salary.

We take great care in following the liturgical guidelines of the Archdiocesan Office of Divine Worship thus ensuring the suitability of music for worship.

Liturgical Prepartion

The couple will be provided with a booklet entitled "Together For Life" which contains a selection of scripture readings for your wedding service. The engaged couple chooses from these liturgically approved readings whether or not Mass will be celebrated.

Visiting Priests

The request of a visiting priest will be honored on conditions that he is a relative or long-standing friend of the family, possesses diocesan faculties and is willing to:

conscientiously fulfill Archdiocesan requirements
be present for the rehearsal
submit to us the completed paperwork a month before the marriage is scheduled to take place
request in writing, permission to officiate at your wedding; a letter of welcome and delegation will follow
if he resides outside the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, we will forward a civil delegation application required by the State. When completed and sent to the proper authority, it will be forwarded to us.

License Considerations

In order that a license be considered valid, it cannot be less than one week or more than sixty days old prior to the marriage. Please consult your physician or the town clerk regarding blood testing.

Seating Capacity, Fees, etc.

Seating capacity at St. Augustine Church is 558. There are 19 rows of pews plus 3 rows of chairs in front. It aisle length is 82 feet. Aisle runners are not encouraged as they are a source for tripping.

Saturday wedding times are: 10 AM, 12 Noon, 2 and 6 PM. Sunday weddings are not encouraged as the church is extremely busy. By way of exception, they will be allowed at 3PM on condition that the visiting priest is willing to fulfill the conditions stated previously.

Seating capacity at St. Joseph Church is 200. Its aisle length is 59 feet. Greater flexibility in scheduling exists at St. Joseph and largely depends upon the celebrant's availability.

Weddings during Advent and Lent, while not forbidden, are discouraged as they are not in keeping with the season.

Couples who wish to have a less festive celebration and desire to stay realistically within their means are certainly within the parameters of good taste. For those seeking simplicity, please be assured that the Church is eager to accommodate you in this regard.

Flowers add a special touch when tastefully displayed. No flowers are permitted on the altar. Neither tape nor tacks may be used to secure flowers or other decorations (bows, etc.) to the pews or other furniture. Couples being married on the same day are welcome to share the expense of flowers.

A photographer is to be inconspicuous. Flash photographs are not permitted during the liturgy. Video taping may be done from the rear of the church or from a stationary position on the side without the use of extra lighting.

Bride and groom need to make decisions together and be actively involved in their marriage preparations. We are pleased to guide you in these matters.

Wedding stipends are to be submitted to the office one month in advance of the ceremony, made payable to St. Augustine Church.

Church

Parishioners $400 (must be registered and contributing for at least two years)
Non-parishioners $800 (a deposit of 50% is required for non-parishioners)

Music

Organist $200
Soloist $125

Please note that the fees listed above do not include a personal gift for the priest or altar servers though it is customary to include one. The amount is left to the discretion of the couple.