Marriage
We are delighted that your love for one another and the Lord has led you to include St. Joseph’s as part of your wedding preparation and planning. The preparation for marriage comes as an important responsibility for all engaged couples. You prepare to take this important step into married life surrounded by the concern not just of parents and friends, but also of the Church. This concern is expressed in the guidelines listed below.·May the Lord bless this time of preparation for your reception of the Sacrament of Marriage. May He uphold and guide you both as you grow in your understanding of this special relationship, and may the light and wisdom of our faith and the experience of couples already married assist you. The priests and deacons of St. Joseph Parish have one major concern about your marriage: that it be filled with peace, joy, and happiness—and the presence of God all the days of your life. It is in this spirit that we present these guidelines.
Wedding arrangements are certainly necessary and important, but we hope that you never lose sight of the fact that marriage is primarily a Sacrament – a sacred sign of your love for each other in Christ.
Below is information·to help you plan your wedding celebration at St. Joseph's Church.
“Christ abundantly blesses your love, and in this Sacrament, enriches and strengthens you so that you may assume the duties of marriage in mutual and lasting fidelity.” |
Initial Meeting
The first step in planning your wedding is the initial appointment with the parish priest or deacon. At this time, the necessary forms are filled out and the date & time of the wedding and the rehearsal (already tentatively entered in the church calendar book) is confirmed and approved. The initial meeting needs to be at least six months to one year before the wedding due to the Archdiocesan requirements concerning any dispensations that may be needed and the Marriage Preparation Program (Engaged Encounter, Pre-Cana Classes or Sponsor Couple Program).
Please contact the Parish Office and a priest or deacon (at least 6 months, or a year if possible, prior to the wedding date you are requesting); our calendar fills up quickly and there is much to be done!
Planning your Wedding
Available Times
Place & Celebrant·
Offering
Required Documents
Pre-Marriage Conferences
Banns of Marriage
Official Witness
Wedding Liturgy
Lectors or Readers
Wedding Music
Altar Servers
Sacristan
Art & Environment
Unity Candle
Photography & Videography
Punctuality & Demeanor
Celebrant's Attendance at Reception
Rice, Bird Seed, Balloons, etc
Available Times
Weddings at St. Joseph Parish are celebrated on:
| Date | Times | Special Notes |
| Fridays· | Evenings· | Time determined by couple and celebrant. |
| Saturdays···· | 10am | |
| 12noon | ||
| 2pm | ||
| 6:30pm/7pm | Time determined by couple and celebrant. |
Place & Celebrant
A wedding usually takes place in the parish church of the bride, if both bride and groom are of the Catholic Faith.· When one party is not of the Catholic Faith, the church of the Catholic party is the usual place for the ceremony. You are free to ask any priest or deacon at the parish. However, a priest or deacon who is a relative or close personal friend is always welcome to officiate at your wedding at St. Joseph Parish. The visiting priest or deacon is responsible for all the paperwork, instructions, rehearsals, etc. Also, the wedding is to follow the guidelines determined for St. Joseph Parish. In either case, a priest or deacon at St. Joseph Parish should be consulted first.
When one party is not of the Catholic Faith, a minister of his or her faith may certainly be invited to be present in the Sanctuary and participate in the ceremony. Should there be special reasons to be married in a Protestant Church, permission or dispensation to do so may be requested of the Archdiocese through the parish celebrant.
The place for the Sacrament of Marriage (a wedding ceremony) is a “sacred” place, and unless special dispensation is received, takes place in the church sanctuary.
<< BACK TO TOP
Offering
It has long been a tradition in the Catholic Church that the couple and their families make an offering to the parish to help defray the expenses for their wedding preparation and ceremony (e.g., meetings, travel, recording of documents, air conditioning, heat, lights, altar servers, sacristans, candles, etc.).
At St. Joseph Church the suggested church offering is $250.00 ($500.00 for Saturday evening weddings).·
There is a $100.00 deposit required at the time of scheduling your wedding ($250.00 for Saturday evening weddings). This is non-refundable and reserves your wedding & rehearsal date and time in the church calendar. There is no fee for switching your date or time at a later date (provided the date & time are available).
If you previously paid the $100.00 or $250.00 deposit to hold the date & time, then you should subtract that amount from the suggested total church offering. The check should be made payable to St. Joseph Church and should be mailed to the rectory or given to the celebrant no later than two months prior to the rehearsal date.
<< BACK TO TOP
Required Documents
1. Baptismal Certificates: These are required for the bride and groom. This requirement is, of course, waived if the non-Catholic party is not baptized. The Baptism forms must be of recent issue; that is, issued within six months prior to the date of the wedding. You can obtain a Baptism Certificate by contacting the church of your Baptism. Explain to them that you are getting married and need a recent issue of your Baptism Certificate—they will know exactly what you need. Have them mail it directly to you so that you can give it to your celebrant (priest or deacon) at one of your meetings.
2. Marriage License: If your wedding will be at St. Joseph Church in Baltimore County, then the Marriage License must be obtained at the Baltimore County License Bureau at the Courthouse in Towson, 401 Bosley Avenue. If the wedding is taking place elsewhere, the Marriage License must be obtained at the courthouse of the County/City where the actual vows will be pronounced. NOTE: For Baltimore County there is a 48 hour waiting period for such a license and it is valid for only 6 months. This means that you can only apply up to 6 months prior to the wedding date and no later than 48 hours before the wedding.
3.Dispensations: The Celebrant will obtain any dispensations that may be required by the Archdiocese for your Catholic marriage.
All documents should be presented to the officiating celebrant as soon as possible.
<< BACK TO TOP
Pre-Marriage Conferences
All couples who plan to be married at St. Joseph Church are required to attend a pre-marriage conference (Pre-Cana Classes, Engaged Encounter Weekend or Sponsor Couple Program). For your convenience, these are presented at several locations, including St. Joseph's. The celebrant will give you the necessary brochures so that you may begin your registration early (they tend to fill-up quickly).
<< BACK TO TOP
Banns of Marriage
It is customary, when both parties are Catholic, that the announcement of your wedding be published in your respective parish bulletin on the three weekends preceding your wedding.· If you are a St. Joseph Parishioner, this will automatically be done. If not, you need to contact your parish and give them your date of marriage.
<< BACK TO TOP
Official Witness
Two witnesses (Best Man and Maid/Matron of Honor) are the norm for a Catholic Marriage, and they should be in good standing with their particular faith community.
<< BACK TO TOP
Liturgy
In order to make your wedding as personal as possible there are many options that are permitted in the Marriage Rite. If both ·the bride and groom are Catholic, the celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage normally takes place at a Nuptial Mass. An interfaith wedding is normally celebrated at a Marriage Ceremony; however, a Nuptial Mass may also be celebrated.
The celebrant will give you a Rite of Marriage Planning Booklet to assist you in the planning of your wedding (whether at a Nuptial Mass or a Ceremony).· This booklet has several Old and New Testament readings that are appropriate for weddings. There are accompanying explanations for each Bible reading suggested so that you may better understand God’s Word concerning marriage. The booklet also contains the complete Marriage Rite with several options from which you may choose (e.g. Entrance/Opening Prayer, Statement of Intentions, Consent, Vows, and Blessings). The last page of the booklet has a pullout worksheet for your convenience. The celebrant will set-up a final meeting, just prior to the rehearsal, with the two of you where you will finalize your wedding plans.
<< BACK TO TOP
Lectors or Readers
Both the Nuptial Mass and the Wedding Ceremony include Readings from the Scriptures. It is fitting that a layperson proclaim one or more of these Readings (they could be from the Old Testament, Psalms, New Testament, or a Meditation). It could be a particular honor to offer this way to participate in your wedding ceremony or Mass to a special family member. It is required that the reader(s) have a copy of “their” reading from your Rite of Marriage Booklet and be present at the wedding rehearsal to familiarize themselves with our microphone equipment and the order of their reading within the wedding ceremony. The Celebrant can also take this opportunity to give them a “quick” lesson in proclaiming distinctly and loudly from our large sanctuary area.
<< BACK TO TOP
Music
Sufficient time should be allowed for wedding music arrangements. All arrangements must be coordinated through the Director of Music at St. Joseph Parish. It is advised that couples contact the Director of Music at least three months prior to their wedding date.
At this time a “Wedding Music Packet” will be given to you. The packet includes the parish wedding music policy, a cassette tape of wedding music selections sung by our available soloists, easy step-by-step instructions regarding soloists, instrumentalists, the selecting of music and other related details.
The Director of Music will work with each couple individually as you progress through the planning of your wedding music. Once selections have been made, a meeting to finalize everything will take place.
Ordinarily, the music ministers in the parish will provide the music for weddings celebrated at St. Joseph Church. The Director will coordinate the Organist, soloist, Contemporary Music Group, or other musicians. If the couple requests that a music minister and/or Organist other than those who serve St. Joseph Parish provide the music for their wedding, then the Director must give his/her approval. The Director will meet with that musician to explain parish policy concerning liturgical music in general, wedding music in particular and the proper care and functioning of our equipment.
The fees for a church Organist and other music ministers will be discussed thoroughly at the meeting. The Director of Music at St. Joseph Parish can be reached at 410-256-1630, extension 121.
<< BACK TO TOP
Altar Servers
If the celebrant desires servers, he will request them and they will be appointed for your wedding. The bride and groom, however, may request that a relative or close friend fulfill this ministry; however, they must be a recognized altar server in their home parish. The Parish will take care of the compensation for St. Joseph altar servers and their time & travel, however, it is a kind gesture to offer them an amount of cash in an envelope for their service at your wedding. If the servers you select are not altar servers of this parish, they are required to be present at the wedding rehearsal.
<< BACK TO TOP
Sacristan
A Sacristan, one of our Parish Youth, will be assigned to your wedding. The Sacristan arrives well before your rehearsal and wedding begin. He/She will open the church, turn on the air conditioner/heater, lights, microphones, place your flowers in the sanctuary and/or at the end of the pews, set-up your runner, etc., etc., etc., for your wedding. The Sacristan will also stay behind to clean up and lock-up after your wedding and photos are complete. The compensation for our Sacristan and his/her time and travel will be taken care of by the Parish, however, it is a kind gesture to offer the Sacristan an amount of cash in an envelope for their service at your wedding.
<< BACK TO TOP
Art & Environment
A couple wishing flowers or candles in the Sanctuary or aisle should make arrangements with a florist of their choice
It has long been a tradition in the church for the bride & groom to purchase an arrangement (or more) of flowers for their wedding to be placed in the church sanctuary, and to leave this arrangement as a donation to the church for use in the chapel during the week following the wedding. If there are other weddings scheduled on your wedding day, you may wish to share this expense with the other couple(s); please call the rectory (410-256-1630) to inquire and coordinate.
If you wish a white runner to be placed in the center aisle for your wedding, you will need to rent or purchase this from your florist. The florist usually needs to know the length of our center aisle; it is 50 feet in the main church worship area. The Chapel aisle is 25 feet long.
The sanctuary in the church and the chapel is a “sacred space” and is given our respect and reverence when considering art & environment for our worship. The placement of furniture and sacred vessels should not be relocated for a wedding ceremony or Mass.
Church seasons are important to our worship and certain symbolic color schemes in the sanctuary accompany them. For example, purple color schemes dominate our worship space during the Advent & Lenten seasons. Altar cloths, pulpit and other area hangings using timely & thematic colors should not be changed or covered over for a wedding ceremony or Mass.
<< BACK TO TOP
Unity Candle
If you wish this symbol and brief attending rite to be part of your wedding, the parish will provide you with our “Wedding Unity Candle” set (approx. 5-feet tall). The parish will provide the three candles and stand at no cost to you. The Celebrant will go over this part of your wedding during the rehearsal.
<< BACK TO TOP
Photography & Videography
Any photographer or videographer engaged by the couple should be made aware of the sacred nature of the marriage ceremony and should conduct him/herself in such a manner as not to be a distraction. It is suggested that they consult with the celebrant no later than 30 minutes prior to the wedding. Photographs and Videos may be taken in the church after the ceremony for a period lasting no longer than 30 minutes; this allows time for set-up of any wedding or service that may be following your ceremony.
<< BACK TO TOP
Punctuality and Demeanor
It is very important that the rehearsal and wedding begin promptly as scheduled. There are often other services scheduled back-to-back. We try to schedule weddings far enough apart to allow ample time for conclusion of the one and set-up for the other.· If the ceremony begins too late, it may be necessary for the celebrant to not allow photographs afterwards, so please be considerate of this necessity.
Demeanor at rehearsals and weddings should be sober, reverent, considerate and prayerful as well as joyful. Be aware that the celebrant is charged by the Church to verify, before he ministers the Sacrament, that the bride, groom and attendants are of healthy mind, coherent and able to fully comprehend the gravity and sacredness of what is about to take place in the presence of God, the Church’s minister and your family and friends.
<< BACK TO TOP
Celebrant's Attendance at Reception
Because we are such a large parish with many, many needs, there are times when urgent demands are placed upon our ministers. Therefore, it is not always possible for your celebrant to attend the wedding reception. It is not because we don’t want to celebrate with you, but we must be available to share our time with all our parishioners in need at any time.
<< BACK TO TOP
Rice, Bird Seed, Confetti, Balloons, etc
Insurance regulations, maintenance requirements, and concern prohibit us from allowing the throwing of rice, birdseed or confetti outside the church before, during or after your wedding ceremony. The area just outside our church foyer is made of slate paving stones. Rice, seed and confetti causes a potential hazard for people. The rice/seed/confetti-covered slate becomes extremely slippery and creates a very dangerous condition for you, your family and friends. Because we want this day to be “perfect” for you, and with your safety in mind, we do not allow rice, seed or confetti throwing.
Balloons are not allowed inside the main worship area in the church. If balloons are released into the main worship area of the church, there will be a $50.00 per balloon maintenance charge for their removal from the ceiling; scaffolding is necessary. It has also been noted that helium-filled balloons are not good for the animals and our environment.
<< BACK TO TOP
··
·All the priests, deacons, ministers and staff wish you peace and joy as you
begin the celebration of your life together in Christ.
Peace be with you.
