In the Sacrament of Marriage, a man and woman promise to make present the living love of Christ for each other. In the course of living out the mystery of your love, you become a source of God’s presence for each other and for the community in which you live. Although marriage is very personal, it is never private because it has a profound impact upon us, a community of the faithful, who will be praying for you and supporting you in your life together.
The teaching of the Catholic Church prescribes that baptized Catholics must marry before an ordained minister of the Catholic Church and two adult witnesses. A special dispensation (permission) given by the Bishop would enable such a marriage to take place in a Protestant church before a minister of that church. In such an instance, we follow the same marriage preparation program as if the marriage were to take place in a Catholic Church. Sacraments can only be celebrated in a church or place/holy ground where the faithful gather regularly. This means a Catholic wedding cannot be celebrated in a backyard, park, or favorite flower garden.
Full, participating membership at a Catholic Parish is required to have your wedding. If you are a registered and participating member, you may request to be married by our Pastor or a Pastor from another church.
Wedding couples, who are not members may have wedding ceremonies at the Church provided that they complete the following requirements:
The reservation of the Church is tentative until we receive a letter from the pastor from the parish where you are registered giving you permission to celebrate your wedding here.
It is your pastor’s responsibility to arrange for your marriage preparation and perform the ceremony here.
If your pastor is unable to have the wedding liturgy and another priest or deacon will be celebrating the wedding ceremony, we must have a letter of his acceptance of these responsibilities, delegation, and verification of faculties.
All necessary paperwork must be filled out by the pastor of the bride or groom or the priest or deacon witnessing the wedding.
The Sacrament of Marriage may be celebrated by a deacon if the wedding ceremony is held outside of the Wedding Mass.
If you are a member of the parish, fees are as follows: Pastor- $100.00, Musician- $150.00, Wedding Coordinator- $50.00, Altar Servers- $20.00 (2). These fees are requested no later than the day of the rehearsal. If you are not a member of the parish, there will be an additional Church fee of $50.00.
Please call the parish office (724) 775-4111 at least one year prior to the intended wedding date. Weddings are normally scheduled on Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. Weddings are not scheduled on Sundays or on Civil Holidays. Please note that there are some times in the church liturgical year when the celebration of weddings is less appropriate. {For example, the season of Lent (Ash Wednesday through Good Friday) is a time of penance in the life of a parish community.} Also, if a major feast falls on a Friday or Saturday, weddings should not be scheduled on that day.