Sacrament of Marriage

The wedding ceremony is a sacred celebration whereby husband and wife join together to become a living witness and symbol of Christ’s love for his Church. It is the official “beginning” to the sacramental life of a couple who willingly agrees to live with and for one-another for the rest of their lives.

WEDDING GUIDELINES

The following includes guidelines and helpful suggestions needed for the preparation of weddings. A couple seeking marriage is responsible for all of the information contained below. Please read it carefully and thoroughly. No exceptions will be made to the following guidelines without significant discussion with the pastor or deacon presiding at the wedding. Click For Spirit of Life Catholic Church Wedding Preparation Guidelines

MARRIAGE PREPARATION REQUIREMENTS

A couple desiring to get married should contact the parish no less than nine months prior to the wedding.

The church should be reserved before a commitment is made to a photographer and reception hall. The church may not be available on the desired date without reserving it in advance.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

Participate in a Pre-Marriage Seminar weekend and attend Natural Family Planning (NFP) training. Click on the links to the Diocese of Bismarck's website to get information regarding these topics as well as dates and how to register. The specifics of these will be shared with the couple in the first meeting with the pastor (or deacon).
Participate in the evaluation tool, FOCCUS, which assists the couple in understanding themselves as individuals and as a couple. The results of the tool will be shared with the presider of the wedding or it will be given to a sponsoring couple who will assist the engaged couple in evaluating the results of the tool.

Additional preparation may be required depending on the particular circumstances of the couple.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED

Pre-nuptial questionaire which is completed at the first meeting with the pastor or deacon.
A Baptismal Certificate which should be requested from the parish of baptism at least six months prior to the wedding date. (A non-Catholic person should provide a photocopy of a baptismal record.)
Completion certificates from the Pre-Marriage Seminar weekend and NFP training.
A MARRIAGE LICENSE which is procured from the Clerk of Court at the local court house. The couple needs to go together and present a document of personal identification (driver license or social security card). The license can be purchased up to 60 days before the wedding. Fee for the license is determined by the state.
Appropriate documentation of any annulled (previous) marriages.

LIST OF FEES AND STIPENDS

CHURCH: $100 for the use of the church. NON-PARISHIONERS fee is $300.
CELEBRANT: There are no stole fees for the services of the priest at the wedding. If you want to make a donation for the sacramental services provided, that donation is made to the church.
ALTAR SERVERS: Suggested stipend for each altar server provided by Spirit of Life is $10.
MUSICIANS: Stipend for the music ministry, including the parish keyboardist, is determined by the musicians. The stipend should be given to the musicians on or before the date of the rehearsal.

For the sake of convenience, it is highly suggested that all stipends be paid on or before the day of the rehearsal. Checks made out to Spirit of Life and to the Music Ministers (if from Spirit of Life) can be delivered to the parish office during regular business hours. (Please write separate checks made out to the celebrant and the musicians. Do not include them in the fee to the church.)
ACTIVITY CENTER: Fees for the optional use of the activity center: $100 for kitchen & foyer (capacity 75), +$100 for the use of the additional area north of the divider (capacity 200), +$100 for use of the diswasher/stove/oven.