Engaged Couples

Congratulations on your forthcoming wedding!

Although much of the focus of engaged couples is on preparing for their wedding day, the Catholic Church also encourages you to spend your engagement preparing for a strong, lifelong marriage.  All couples who wish to marry at St. Patrick Parish are asked to meet with a priest at least nine months prior to your date of marriage.  You will need a recent copy of your baptismal certificates to bring to this initial meeting.

As part of your preparations, you will also be asked to complete a pre-marriage questionnaire, a communication tool called Fully Engaged, participate in an Engaged Couple Seminar, take a Natural Family Planning Course, and attend the “God’s Plan for a Joy-filled Marriage” Seminar.  These requirements are intended to help engaged couples open up a conversation on married life, as well as grow in understanding of God’s plan for marriage; that is, to help you explore together how you will live out your wedding day promises.

Sometimes, people think that a “Church Wedding” has to be big. This is not true. The center of the Wedding is the Christ present in your marriage vows, not the number of people who attend. Please feel free to come to the Catholic Church for a wedding of any size.

To schedule an interview with a priest or if you should have any questions, please contact the the Parish Office – 603-635-3525.

The United States Catholic Conference of Bishops maintains a website called For Your Marriage that has a number of resources for engaged couples.  Please click on the For Your Marriage Icon to go directly to the site.