Congratulations
The Christian community wishes you every blessing and happiness. Your desire to marry in Church is your invitation to Christ to be at the heart of your relationship. We hope that the information contained in this leaflet will be of help to you in a practical way as you prepare for your marriage.
Fixing the Date
When deciding on a date, please bear in mind that: civil church law requires a minimum of three months’ notice of your intention to marry. In cases where dispensations are required, a minimum of six months’ notice of intention to marry is required by the Diocese.
Pre-marriage Preparation
In the Diocese of Meath, a marriage Preparation Workshop is obligatory. It is conducted by trained facilitators who explore the following areas in preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage:
- Communication
- Conflict
- Commitment
- Church
- Children
To book the workshop, contact:
Accord, Navan.
Tel: 046 9023146.
We also recommend that you visit www.groireland.ie and www.gettingmarried.ie
Documentation Required
A new Baptismal Certificate
A Confirmation Certificate
If you have lived for more than six months outside your parish of residence since you were 18 years of age, you need a Letter of Freedom from your respective parish(es).
If this is a mixed marriage, permission or a dispensation from the Bishop is necessary. (A non Catholic requires a Baptismal certificate and an affidavit stating that he/she was never married before in a civil or religious ceremony.) A minimum of three months’ notice must be given to the Civil Registrar of Marriages in Cavan (Tel: 049 4371790).
Your local priest should complete with you your Prenuptial Enquiry Papers which both you and he must sign.
Which Church
There are three churches in the Parish of Kingscourt. Please click on the Church link on our Home Page for details.
The Ceremony
There are two kinds of ceremony in the Catholic Church. One is a wedding ceremony with Nuptial Mass. The other is a wedding without Mass. If one of you is non-Catholic or not a regular churchgoer, you and your family may feel more at home with the latter ceremony. A wedding ceremony without Mass is the form your wedding will take if one of you is not baptised.
During the days before the marriage, it is recommended to couples to prepare spiritually by receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Music
NO pop music or pre-recorded music should be used during the Church ceremony.
Contemporary music may be incorporated into the period of the signing of the Civil Register.
The list of music should be presented to the priest during the compilation of the wedding booklet for approval.
Where possible, the musicians or soloists should facilitate the celebrant by singing the various parts of the Mass (Lord have Mercy, Psalm, Gospel Acclamation, Holy Holy, Great Amen and the Lamb of God).
As a rule of thumb, the music selected for the ceremony should reflect the meaning and essence of the wedding liturgy.
Wedding Rite and General Etiquette
Only the approved Rite can be used in the ceremony.
Couples may wish to supply their own wedding candles for the ceremony.
The ceremony of signing the Civil Register takes place at one of the side altars. The bridal party are invited to witness the signing.
NO confetti is allowed in the Churches or in the grounds.
Wedding Rehearsal
A rehearsal is required for all weddings. It is important that all members of the wedding party be present for the rehearsal. This includes the Best Man, Maid of Honour, Groomsmen, Bridesmaids, Flower Girl/Page Boy. Relatives and/or friends reading during the liturgy should also practice on rehearsal night.
Church Expenses
Bearing in mind that the preparation and celebration of a wedding involves considerable work for the priest, it is customary to give a donation to the priest on the occasion of your wedding. There is a fee to non-parishioners who wish to use the facilities of the Church for their wedding. This is currently set at €700.
Civil Registration Service Online appointment System – Notice for Parishes
The Civil Registration Act 2004 requires all couples planning a marriage ceremony in Ireland to register their intent of marriage with the State at least three calendar months prior to their wedding date. This is currently done by setting up an appointment with a Civil Registration Service Registrar and attending together in person – currently, couples must telephone an office or call in person to set up an appointment.
From the 12th November 2012, the Civil Registration Service is launching a new online appointment booking system. This new and additional access channel will allow couples to book notification of intention to marry appointments in any Civil Registration Service office around the country provided they have access to the internet.
When booking their appointment couples will be informed of what they need to bring, how long their appointment will last, and this will all be done online.
For couples where one or both parties are resident abroad, they should contact the office by telephone to book their appointment.
To notify the Registrar of your intention to marry you may book a Marriage Notification appointment at www.crsappointments.ie
For more information about this or any of their services you can also visit their website: www.civilregistrationservice.ie.
Photographers
PLEASE PRESENT THE FOLLOWING GUIDELINES TO YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER
A wedding ceremony is a sacred time in which the couple unite their love with the love of God. In order to maintain this sense of sacredness and yet facilitate your job as the photographer, we offer you the following guidelines:
We would ask you to observe the basic ‘line of sight’ rule throughout the ceremony.
As a matter of courtesy, each photographer should discuss beforehand their requirements with the Celebrant.
Avoid the altar area of the sanctuary.
At no time during the ceremony should the photographer cross behind the altar.
Couples wishing to marry in our Church must fill in a booking form, this form can be downloaded from the Downloads section of our website. Also, this Wedding-Checklist might be useful as a summary timeline guide.
Further Details
For further details please contact:
Very Rev. Gerard MacCormack, P.P.,
Kingscourt, Co. Cavan
Tel: 042 9667314
Email: [email protected]
