Marriage in the Church
Current Costs
Priestly stipend £250
Authorised Person’s Fee £86
Use of Church £150
If the marriage takes place abroad there will be a Diocesan Administration £25 fee and our paperwork fee will be £50 for the priest
Marriage in the Church is a 'covenant' by which a man and a woman establish a lifelong partnership between themselves. ‘The couple’ help one another to become holy and have their own place and particular gift among the People of God.
You must give at least 6 months to 1 year’s notice of your intention to marry. Any applications made without sufficient time to progress paperwork are done so at the discretion of the Priests. If you are marrying abroad, or have a more complex case, time is needed to ensure the paperwork can be completed.
All the necessary paperwork and Canonical permissions will be explained by priest when you meet. Please read carefully the below instructions.
What do I need to do?
You must fill in the Intention of Marriage Form. If you are parishioners or live within our parish boundary then you must fill in this form to allow us to progress your paperwork. This is the case if you intend to marry abroad, elsewhere or in one of our churches.
You must have registered with a pre-marriage course. You can sign up to our Parish Marriage Preparation Course, using the form, or another course that is recognised by the Catholic Church.
What happens next?
The Parish Office will review your application. We receive an email every time the form is used, so we will be aware you have filled in the form.
The Parish Office will contact you should they need to clarify anything on your application.
The Clergy and the Parish Office will review the application and allocate a priest to progress your paperwork.
The Parish Office or the Priest will be in touch to book an initial appointment for you to meet the priests.
What do I need to bring to my meeting with the priest?
The Catholic party (or parties) must bring their baptism certificate and their confirmation certificate. If you do not have these you must request them from the parish you received your Sacraments from.
If one party is not a Catholic, any baptism certificate they have from another christian denomination must be brought.
The priest will need to know whether you are registered on any pre-marriage course. You will require a certificate from the course, if you are not using the Parish Programme be prepared with the details of the course you are signed up for / have completed.
If either party have had any previous marriages documentation must be brought proving the status of this marriage, and the initial certificate.
If the marriage is to take place in the UK you need to register your desire with the Registry Office. They will provide you with a Marriage Schedule which must be brought to the priest.