Before you get married in the Roman Catholic Church you are required by the Church to receive some instruction concerning Christian marriage and the Sacrament of Matrimony. You will at various stages meet with me and we shall talk about your marriage. We will talk about how your children are to be brought up as Catholics and it would be good if you both spend some time thinking and talking about this with each other and your families. In addition, I will ask you to attend a course run by Catholic Marriage Care which usually takes place in Oxford and is a full day course run on a Saturday or Sunday. I will give you a booking form when we meet. I would ask you to think seriously about coming to mass regularly if you do not already do so. As you prepare for your wedding it is a good opportunity to rediscover the practice of your faith if you have let it slip, and to spend some time thinking about your relationship with God and the Church.
When you get married in St. Joseph’s Church you will be married according to the law of the Church and the law of the State. The priest may also act as the civil state registrar during the wedding service for the civil aspects of the marriage. It is your responsibility to obtain your marriage Certificate/license from the registry office. We are in Bullingdon Registration District and the local registry office is in Wheatley (01865 874702).
You will be required to give notice at the registry office at least 28 days before your wedding date and then return to collect the marriage Certificate/License. If you do not have the marriage Certificate/License from the registry office by the date of the wedding, then it is not possible to marry you.
Now that you have decided to get married, the easy part is over! You will find that you have many other decisions to make and a great number of matters to arrange which will keep you occupied and busy for the next number of months. This information leaflet is designed to help you organise your church wedding.
It is important that you and your fiance(e) both come to see me as soon as possible. The Church asks for at least 6 months notice of intention to marry, but it is better if you come along as early as possible...... a year in advance is not too early!
You might meet me after mass on Sunday and arrange an appointment for you both to come to the presbytery; or you can telephone me to make an appointment. If you are answered by the answering machine, leave a message and phone nunber and I will contact you. My telephone number is: 01844 212860
Come along to our first meeting with some idea of the date you want to get married. Please do not make definite plans for receptions etc. until after you have arranged the church date.
Before coming to meet with me try to find out from your parents where and when you were baptised/christened. If one of you is not a Catholic or even a Christian, do not worry; we will be able to apply for the necessary dispensations very easily.
Please make sure to contaet the registrar at the registry office in good time. Inform the registrar that you are getting marriage at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church, Brook Lane, Thame, and that the authorised person is Father Mark Lagorio, parish priest.
Order of Service - You may wish to have an order of service containing hymns, readings, prayers etc. It is your responsibility to arrange for this to be prepared and printed. However, I will be very happy to help you arrange the format of the order of service and we shall in any case spend some time discussing the marriage ceremony, readings, and hymns. You may have family or friends you would like to read the scripture readings or to be involved in the service in various ways; please consult me.
Flowers - You will not doubt want the church to look beautiful and flowers will help in this. You can make arrangements for a florist to prepare the flowers, or do them yourself. Our church flower arrangers will be happy to help arrange flowers for your wedding; they do a wonderful job and will be far less expensive than a commercial florist. Please contact Mrs Elaine Harbour whichever you decide (01844) 216249.
Music - You will more than likely require the services of an organist to accompany the entrance and exit and lead the hymns during the service. Please contact Mr.David Beckett(01235-520520). He will be happy to advise about music and hymns.
Wedding Rehearsal - We will have a rehearsal in church a day or two before the wedding day; usually present are the person who is giving the bride away, the best man, the bridesmaids, and readers.
Photography - There will no doubt be a photographer engaged by you to record your wedding day. I will talk with the photographer before the service and explain what he can and cannot do. In general, 1 will ask him to be as inconspicuous as possible and not to disturb the wedding service in church. One video camera may he used in church, but I will give instructions to its operator as to where he/she is to stand. Please ask relatives and friends not to take photographs during the service - it can be very intrusive. Your official photographer will be able to provide a record of your wedding for your famdy and friends. You are welcome to use the church grounds for photographs after the service.
Confetti - 1 do not wish to he a spoilsport, but confetti is a messy problem. I would prefer it if your guests refrained from using confetti around the church, car park, and grounds. Perhaps they could save it for the hotel, pub, club where you are having your wedding reception and where, no doubt, they have built in to their charges a fee for someone to clear it all up! I'd appreciate your cooperation in this matter.
Parking - There is plenty of parking available in the church car park- Please ask your guests to use the church car parking facilities and not to park on Brook Lane or Mitchell Close where they would inconvenience our neighbours.
Money - You will find that your wedding preparations and celebrations can be an expensive affair. Dresses, cars, photographers, reception etc. will no doubt cost you a great deal. However, I can assure you that the offering you will make to the church and the priest on your wedding day will he the least expensive part of the day! I will discuss these money matters with you when we meet.
I hope that everything goes smoothly as you prepare for this important day in your lives. I will be happy to help you in any way I can. I will even pray for good weather on the day please contact me if you have any questions.
I will pray for you both.
(Fr.) Mark Lagorio
Fr. Mark Lagorio |
01844 – 212860 |
| 01844 – 212860 | |
Fr. Mark Lagorio |
mail@stjosephsthame.org.uk | Wheatley Registry Office |
01865874702 | David Becket (organist) |
01235520520 | Elaine Harbour (flowers) |
01844 – 216249 | Catholic Marriage Care |
01494537310 |