Blessing from the Rite of Marriage
“Married Christians, in virtue of the sacrament of Matrimony, signify and share in the mystery of that unity and fruitful love which exists between Christ and his Church; they help each other to attain holiness in their married life and in the rearing and education of their children; and they have their own special gift among the people of God.” — Introduction to the Rite of Marriage, #1
We welcome you to the Community of St. Athanasius and St. Rose of Lima for your wedding, and we congratulate you on your decision to marry. When lived with respect and fidelity and with faith in Christ’s sustaining presence, marriage can be an extraordinary blessing throughout all of life’s moments. To make possible the best beginning for your married life, our staff is happy to share in this time of preparation. This preparation will be spiritual and personal, but practical as well. With that in mind we offer the below information containing important policies and procedures, which will help direct your planning. We will make every effort to consider your personal wishes, but we ask you to respect our guidelines.
Set a firm date at least six months in advance of your wedding by meeting with the priest or deacon who is to officiate at the marriage. A wedding is not officially scheduled until you have met with the priest or deacon. So please do not make any other arrangements until the meeting takes place, since it is only then that the date is officially yours. The times for weddings are Saturdays from 10:00 am–1:00 pm. A Friday evening wedding can be negotiated based on availability.
Photographs and/or video may be taken during the marriage ceremony, but always inconspicuously and from outside the sanctuary area. Only the official photographer and/or videographer may take pictures at the ceremony. The photographer/videographer must always keep in mind that this is a Sacrament and a Sacred Moment in the life of the couple.
All floral arrangements should be delivered to the Church at least two hours prior to the start of the ceremony. Flowers should be given as memorials on the occasion of a wedding, and remain in place in the sanctuary for the entire weekend of your wedding.
Our property insurance policy prohibits the use of rice, confetti, birdseed, flower petals, etc, inside and outside the Church. The re–arrangement of the sanctuary furnishings is not permitted. Aisle runners are not permitted because they pose a safety hazard.
The seasonal church decorations may not be moved or re-arranged. Please keep this in mind when talking to your florist. Pew candles or candles in the aisles are not allowed because of the possibility for accidents.
Some couples choose to hire a wedding coordinator to assist with planning the wedding. While such persons may be helpful in organizing some aspects of the wedding, wedding coordinators are not permitted to assume any role or authority in the planning or execution of the wedding ceremony/liturgy.
Out of consideration for other weddings and the various parish services, it is very important that all weddings begin on time. If a wedding starts late, the opportunity for photos will be forfeited.
It is proper for a lay person to proclaim the First and Second Readings from scripture and to announce the intentions of the Prayer of the Faithful. Couples should invite members of the family or the bridal party or other close friends to serve in this capacity. The nature of the Word of God requires that such persons be persons of faith and effective public speakers. They should be given copies of the readings in advance and be present at the rehearsal. The Responsorial Psalm after the First Reading is always sung by the cantor.
Since this is a Sacrament taking place in a Sacred Place, use of any alcoholic beverages before, during, or after the wedding rehearsal or wedding are prohibited. Please make sure everyone understands and is in compliance with this requirement.
Couples are encouraged to seek altar servers from their own family and friends who will be at the wedding. If the couple desires altar servers, please speak to the priest or deacon who is arranging the wedding; due to the limited number of altar servers at the parish, altar servers are not always available.
The official witnesses (best man and maid or matron of honor) may be of any faith. Their names must be given to the officiating priest or deacon for inclusion in the marriage records.
In order for the marriage ceremony to retain its dignity and sense of the sacred, we recommend that only children five (5) years and older are permitted to serve as ring bearers or flower girls.
Couples should contact the Director of Music as soon as possible by way of the parish office at 410-355-5740. The Director of Music is the only person permitted to provide music for your wedding. Please do not make any arrangements for outside musicians, cantors, or instrumentalists until you have discussed this with the Director of Music. The Director of Music will help you arrange for excellent singers and instrumentalists, as well as assist you in selecting music that reflects your personal preferences and conforms to liturgical guidelines.
All musical selections and musicians must be approved by the Director of Music. You will also need a cantor/soloist to lead the liturgical portions of your wedding. The Director of Music will assist you in scheduling an excellent singer/soloist for your wedding. Fees for musicians are in addition to the fee for the church. Fees should be paid one month prior to the wedding date.
These fees are for standard wedding music. Additional musical selections or rehearsals will incur additional fees.
Couples whose wedding is to be witnessed by a priest or deacon who is not on staff at the Community of St. Athanasius and St. Rose of Lima must request permission from our pastor:
The fee for weddings is $300 for parishioners and $500 for non–parishioners. This fee includes an offering for the church. A deposit of $100 should be given to the priest or deacon at the time of the first meeting. This fee does not include any offering you should make for the officiating priest or deacon. The couple should make a personal offering to the priest or deacon in light of the large amount of time and effort that planning a wedding requires on the part of the priest or deacon.
For purposes here, a person is considered to be a parishioner if he/she or their parents have been registered for at least six (6) months prior to the initial meeting with the priest or deacon and have been active users of offertory envelopes for at least 6 months prior to scheduling the wedding.
All couples preparing for marriage in the Catholic Church are required to participate in a church-sponsored Marriage Preparation program. The Engaged Encounter retreat weekend and the Pre–Cana Class series are both sponsored by the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Information about these programs is available from a priest or deacon. Marriage preparation should be complete at least three months prior to the wedding date. Required Documentation and Paperwork Baptismal certificates of both parties must be obtained. For Catholics, new copies (issued from the church of baptism) are necessary and must be issued within six months of the wedding date.
A civil marriage license must be obtained for Baltimore City from the Clarence Mitchell Courthouse, Room 628, 100 N. Calvert Street. At the time of printing, the license fee is $85 and must be paid in cash. One of the parties must appear in person to apply for the license. The license is good from 2 days after the application is made until six months from the date of issue. For more information please call the Marriage License Bureau at (410) 333–3780.
Since the bride and the groom are the ministers of the Sacrament of Marriage, they should have a prominent role in the planning of their wedding liturgy. The officiating priest or deacon will work with the couple to prepare the wedding liturgy. Copies of the marriage planning workbook, Together for Life, are available from the officiating priest or deacon. When both parties are of the Catholic faith, the celebration of the marriage should take place within a Mass. If one of the parties is not Catholic, the celebration usually takes place at a ceremony outside Mass. The normal structure of the wedding is as follows:
Entrance Procession of ministers and bridal party
Gathering Hymn (optional)
Opening Prayer
Liturgy of the Word:
Rite of Marriage:
If the wedding is celebrated at a Nuptial Mass, then it continues as follows:
Prayer of the Faithful
Liturgy of the Eucharist:
If the wedding is celebrated outside Mass, then it continues as follows:
