SACRAMENT OF Marriage
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"Among the many blessings that God has showered upon us in Christ is the blessing of marriage, a gift bestowed by the Creator from the creation of the human race…It is a source of blessing to the couple, to their families, and to society and includes the wondrous gift of co-creating human life. Indeed, as Pope John Paul II never tired of reminding us, the future of humanity depends on marriage and the family."
– U.S. Catholic Bishops, 2009 Pastoral Letter: Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan
For the information below, one section is for locals and the other is for overseas destination weddings.
LOCAL PARISHIONERS
REQUIREMENTS FOR MARRIAGE AT ST. IGNATIUS CHURCH
Congratulations on your upcoming marriage! This provides the requirements for a wedding to be celebrated at St. Ignatius Parish. If a date has not been set yet, and if you agree to all these requirements, you must contact the Pastor/Parish Administrator personally to set a date for your wedding.
As you are quite aware, there are some things that must be in place before a wedding can be celebrated at St. Ignatius Parish. This serves to inform you of your options, depending on your present position, and the plans that you need to make.
1. You need to meet with Pastor/Parish Administrator and fulfill the necessary requirements of the church 6 months ahead of the marriage date.
Requirements:
• Pre-Marriage file filled up and signed (Parish Priest will fill out the Pre-Marriage questionnaire with you and your fiancé and will be sent to the Archdiocese of Detroit for permission and dispensation needed.
• Certificate of Pre-Cana/Pre-Marriage Course
• Updated baptismal record dated within 6 months for Catholics; Copy of Baptismal Certificate for Non-Catholics, copy of Birth Certificate for Non-Christians.
• Certificate of Confirmation for Catholics
2. Please have Pastor/Parish Administrator help you with planning the Wedding Ceremony. The Parish use the “Together for Life” by Joseph Chaplin in choosing your readings and prayers, and the consent you will use and other aspects of the ceremony. This also needs to be sent at least a month before the wedding. You must choose readers for the first and second readings.
3. There is no specified fee for the use of the church for the wedding ceremony. However, donation is greatly appreciated.
4. Music has to be arranged with the Music Coordinator of the parish and stipend paid directly to him/her.
5. All video cameras must be on a tripod and cannot move throughout the ceremony. No person taking pictures or videos is allowed in the Sanctuary. Thirty minutes maximum is allowed for pictures in the church immediately following the wedding ceremony.
6. And finally any flower arrangements that are delivered and used in the wedding ceremony are to remain in the sanctuary and not to be taken out of the church for the reception after the ceremony.
OVERSEAS CATHOLICS / DESTINATION WEDDINGS
REQUIREMENTS FOR MARRIAGE AT ST. IGNATIUS CHURCH
Congratulations on your upcoming marriage! This provides the requirements for a wedding to be celebrated at St. Ignatius Parish. If a date has not been set yet, and if you agree to all these requirements, you must contact the Pastor/Parish Administrator of St Ignatius Parish and set a date for your wedding.
As you are quite aware, there are some things that must be in place before a wedding can be celebrated at St. Ignatius Parish. This serves to inform you of your options, depending on your present position, and the plans that you need to make.
1. You need to meet with your Pastor and fulfill the necessary requirements of the Diocese where you live. Before a date can be set for your wedding here at the church you must have your parish priest or pastor send a letter to the Pastor/Parish Administrator of St Ignatius Parish to [email protected] declaring that you are a member of the parish there and you are in good standing, that you are free to marry, and granting permission to witness your marriage and why you want to get married in the Cayman Islands instead of your home parish.
2. Please have your parish priest fill out the pre-marriage questionnaire with you and your fiancé and send them to your Diocese for any permission/dispensation needed. Once permission/dispensation is granted, ask your Diocese to mail the completed marriage dossier to the Chancellor of Archdiocese of Detroit (12 State St., Detroit, 48226-1823) for “No objection”, and once granted, your marriage dossier will be mailed to us here at St. Ignatius Catholic Church.
Marriage file should include:a. Pre-marriage file
b. Certificate of Pre Cana sessions (or similar program)
c. Baptismal record dated within 6 months for Catholics with annotations of your confirmation and previous marriage (if any) and Copy of Baptismal Certificate for Non-Catholics.
3. Documents should be sent at least three (3) months ahead of the marriage date:
4. Please have your Parish Priest help you with planning the Wedding Ceremony. Most parishes have a book that will let you choose the readings and prayers and the consent you will use and other aspects of the ceremony. The preferred one is “Together for Life” by Joseph Champlin, but you may use whatever your parish offers. This also needs to be sent at least a month before the wedding. You must choose readers for the First and Second Readings. (Remember it takes mail about two weeks to get here from the States).
5. On your arrival on the island, please contact the parish office in order to make an appointment for us to meet and go over all the plans.
6. The fee for the use of the church for a wedding here from one who is not a parishioner of St. Ignatius Church is US$750.00. Like the requirements above, this fee must be paid 3 months ahead of the actual date of the wedding.
7. On your arrival, you will need to get a Governor’s Special License. This can be obtained from the Government Administration Building in George Town. Please phone them for their requirements. 1-345-914-2222. There is a cost of CI$200.00 or US$250.00.
8. All video cameras must be on a tripod and cannot move throughout the ceremony. No person taking pictures or videos is allowed in the Sanctuary. Thirty minutes maximum is allowed for pictures in the church immediately following the wedding ceremony.
9. We ask that any flower arrangements that are delivered and used in the wedding ceremony are to remain in the sanctuary and not to be taken out of the church for the reception after the ceremony.
