St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Community
Thank you for your decision to get married in the Catholic Church and for choosing St. Kateri . We are glad to help you prepare for this very important and life changing event in your life. Prior to calling the Parish Office to set up an appointment, you will have to make the following documents ready. These documents are needed during your Interview.
DOCUMENTS
Here are the documents that you need to prepare:
1) Birth Certificate
2) Baptismal Certificate ( must be a recent copy and issued within six months prior to the Interview date. )
3) First Communion Certificate
4) Confirmation Certificate
5) If you are already civilly married- Civil Marriage Certificate
6) If one of you had a previous marriage and got divorced - Decree of Dissolution
7 ) If one of you had a previous marriage in the Catholic Church and got an annulment - Certificate of Annulment
8 ) a letter of Permission from your home Parish may be required if you are not a registered parishioner of our parish. If you wish to register as a member of our parish, please fill out the Parish Registration Form and send it back to us.
You can send it by email. Just go to CONTACT USbutton to download the file.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
1) Am I allowed to marry a non-Catholic? Non Christian? Atheist?
Answer: Yes. The Church allows it provided the non-Catholic party will not object to the desire of the Catholic party to raise the children in the Catholic faith.
2) I have a previous marriage in the Church but we are already civilly divorced. Can I marry in the Church again?
Answer: You need to have the previous marriage be annulled first before you can re-marry in the Church.
3) My future husband/wife had a previous marriage in a non-Catholic church, can we marry in the Catholic Church since he is already divorced?
Answer: The Catholic Church considers all marriages as valid and therefore the first marriage must be annulled first before you can get married in the Catholic church.
4. My future husband/wife is not a Catholic / not Christian. Can we still marry in the Catholic Church?
Answer: Yes, you need to apply for a dispensation. ( A permission granted by the local Bishop )
5. My future wife/husband didn't receive the Sacrament of Confirmation, can we still get married in the Church?
Answer: Yes but it is preferable that Confirmation be received before the wedding, however, if confirmation will not be done before the wedding, your husband/wife must be enrolled in the RCIA Formation to prepare for confirmation within the time of your wedding.
6. Can we celebrate our Wedding in homes, gardens, beach, wedding chapels ( may include other places outside the church )
Answer: No, the Catholic church requires that marriage be officiated within the Church. In the Diocese of San Bernardino, no dispensation will be granted for weddings in homes, gardens or wedding chapels.
INTERVIEW
Once you have all these documents, please call the parish Office to set a date for an interview with a priest or a deacon. Part of the interview is answering the questions in the Pre-nuptial Questionnaire. This is to determine if you are capable of entering into a valid Catholic Marriage. Please fill up this form with your answer to every question and bring it with you during your meeting with the priest or deacon. The forms are to filled up each by groom and bride.
DISPENSATION ( A special permission given by the local Bishop )
In some cases, there may be a need to apply for dispensation and this may add to the length of time of your preparation. Dispensation is needed for those who are marrying a Non-Catholic or someone who is from a different religion. Dispensation is also needed if there other special cases which can invalidate the marriage . Please click this link to obtain the application form for Dispensation.
ANNULLMENT
Since there is no divorce in the Catholic Church, marriage can be invalidated through the process of annulment. For annulment, the process may take from 6 months to 2 years, depending on the information that is available from the previous marriage. Please see this link for more information about annulment.
FREEDOM TO MARRY
You have to establish that you are free to get married in the Catholic Church. A witness needs to sign a document testifying that you are free to get married in the Church. The document to be signed by your witness can be obtained at the parish office or downloaded from this site: Freedom to Marry Form
MARRIAGE PREPARATION CLASSES
You will be required to take Marriage Preparation classes ( some Diocese calls it Pre-Cana Course ) . Please call the Parish Office for the schedule of Classes. Classes take up to six sessions and conducted by couple facilitators in the home setting. You may be joined by other couples who are taking the classes.
* Because of the Covid-19, our Marriage Preparation Classes are put on hold. There no couple facilitators who are available at this time. In circumstances where the wedding cannot be postponed or re-scheduled, we recommend that you take the course on-line. There are several CATHOLIC MARRIAGE PREPARATION COURSES that are available.
* Preparacion Matrimonial Catolica
* Catholic Marriage Prep.Com en Espanol
* Catholic Marriage Prep Class
* Marriage Preparation Resources
* Smart Loving Marriage Prep Course
* The Marriage Group Prep Course- Advance Ministry
* Pre Cana Course Online - Avalon
When everything gets back to normal, we would like to get in touch with you again to do a follow up on the course that you have taken. Thank you.
GUIDELINES FOR DECORATIONS, FLOWERS, PHOTO / VIDEO/ REHEARSAL
* Very Important : Please consult the parish office for the details. You will also have to sign an agreement that you will abide by these Guidelines.
VERY IMPORTANT : RECEPTION VENUE RESERVATION
PLEASE DO NOT MAKE ANY RESERVATION IN YOUR RECEPTION VENUE UNTIL ALL THESE NECESSARY DOCUMENTS ARE SUBMITTED AND YOU HAVE UNDERGONE ALL THE REQUIRED PREPARATION. IT IS ONLY AFTER YOU HAVE MADE THE FINAL MEETING WITH THE PASTOR THAT YOU CAN SCHEDULE THE DATE AND TIME OF YOUR WEDDING.
VERY IMPORTANT : YOU HAVE TO APPLY FOR A MARRIAGE LICENSE AT LEAST A MONTH BEFORE YOUR WEDDING!
In California marriage officiated in the Catholic Church is also considered as a civil rite , so you need to obtain a Marriage License which is valid 90 daysfrom the date of issuance . You can obtain the license from the Assessor- County Clerk- Recorder.
TO APPLY FOR MARRIAGE LICENSE IN RIVERSIDE COUNTY
Please click the link : http://www.cityapplications.com/marriage-licenses/CA-California/mrg-Riverside.html
TO APPLY FOR MARRIAGE LICENSE IN SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
Please click the link : https://www.sbcountyarc.gov
TO HELP YOU IN YOUR PREPARATION, PLEASE DOWNLOAD THIS FLOW CHART AS YOUR GUIDE :
* FLOW CHART FOR MARRIAGE PREPARATION- ENGLISH
* LUJOGRAMA PARA LA PREPARACION DE BODA
St. Kateri Tekakwitha Catholic Community, Inc.