Marriage
Marriage is an intimate relationship of life and love. In order to assist you effectively and fulfill our pastoral responsibility towards you, time must be made to consider certain convictions. Values need to be clarified before couples may enter into marriage within the Catholic Church. As a faith community we have strong uncompromising commitment to permanence in marriage, total giving of self to the other, exclusive fidelity and openness to life.There is surely an obvious need for Church involvement in marriage preparation with engaged couples to provide both spiritual and human enrichment. Out of this need Bishops of the Catholic Church have established policies for Pastoral Marriage Preparation. Engaged couples are required to receive a sacramental preparation comprising both formational and instructional sessions.
Ideally, programs of pastoral preparation should begin at least one year before the marriage date. Formational meetings are held with a priest or deacon. These sessions should help build the couple relationship, establish a relationship with the priest or deacon, and ensure that the couple intends what the Catholic church intends by the Sacrament of Marriage, so that the grace of the sacrament may bear fruit in the new life which begins on your wedding day.
Preparing for Marriage
Sacrament of Reconciliation
There are no two persons who would be more conscious of the need of forgiveness and reconciliation than a couple preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage. For this reason we encourage reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation as part of your marriage preparation to benefit more fully from the grace of the Sacrament of Marriage.
Time and Place of the Wedding
Dates and hours are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. Time is allocated to provide dignity and reverence, and to avoid congestion and conflict with other parish ceremonies. Kindly consult with one of the priests. The wedding ceremony is to be held in the parish church or at the place of worship of another faith community as the case may be. Permission is not granted for garden weddings, ceremonies in parks or other outdoor settings.
Weddings are conducted in the church on Thursdays or Fridays; at 1pm or 3pm.
Weddings are conducted in the church on Thursdays or Fridays; at 1pm or 3pm.
Wedding with or without a Mass?
While couples are encouraged to celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage within a Mass, it is also possible to have a ceremony outside of Mass. This is a decision best reached in consultation with the priest/deacon who is preparing you for marriage.
Punctuality
Your punctuality is more than a matter of courtesy to your guests, attendants and the clergy you have asked to officiate. It is a necessity out of consideration for others. Please understand that the priest or deacon witnessing your vows may be forced to tailor your ceremony to accommodate your lateness with other scheduled ceremonies that same day. Rehearsals are, likewise, fitted into a time schedule that includes commitments before and after your own.
Ecumenical and inter-religious Marriages
An ecumenical wedding joins in marriage two baptized members of different Christian churches. An inter-religious marriage involves a baptized Christian and a non-Christian believer. We encourage ecumenical and inter-religious couples to confer with the clergy of both faith communities. In every way, the integrity of both individual's faith convictions should be respected. Provision can be made for a Catholic to be married before clergy of another faith community. Clergy of other churches and synagogues are always welcome to participate in ecumenical weddings. Any decisions in this regard should always be discussed with the parish priest early in your preparations.
Relatives and Friends as Officiants
Your relatives and friends who are Catholic priests or deacons are always welcome to officiate at your wedding. Please let the priest of our parish know about this decision as soon as it is definite. It is advisable that the guest priest or deacons conduct his own rehearsal. Please confirm this with the parish.
Altar Servers
If you have relatives or friends who are altar servers at their home parish and would like to serve, please advise the officiating priest.
Music at Your Wedding
Since the Church does not provide music, you are welcome to bring guest musicians to play at your wedding. Please consult with the priest officiating at your wedding concerning appropriate selection of music for the occasion. Local musicians are also available.
Flowers
We rely upon your good judgment in arranging for flowers and/or ferns. Please consider the necessity of mobility on the part of the members of the bridal party. In any event your florist should consult with the priest concerning the decoration of the church.
Photographers
Photographers are welcome at your wedding. However, they ought not delay or interfere with any part of the liturgical ceremony. Please ensure that your photographer receives the stipulated guidelines for Our Lady of Divine Providence Church.
Traffic and Parking
Wedding guests are asked to park in the parish parking lot in such a manner as not to obstruct the flow of traffic.
Civil License
You must be a resident in the islands for 48 hours before applying for a marriage license. Sworn affidavits are required to establish the person's freedom to marry. The affidavits are sworn before a notary public and can be performed in the country of your residence. A passport or driver's license AND birth certificate will suffice as identification. The cost of the civil license and documentation is $200, and once you have applied, there is a waiting period of 2 to 3 working days to obtain the marriage license. All copies of documents sent to the Marriage Registrar's Office must be notarized. Also include a copy of the immigration stub that you will receive once you pass through the Turks and Caicos Immigration control. While a Search of Registry in your Country/State, which certifies that there is no record of a marriage, is required, many states do not offer this service. That is why a sworn affidavit is required.
Donations
The offering to the parish (Our Lady of Divine Providence Church) is $2,000. Once the non-refundable deposit of $500 is received, the date is set in the parish calendar. Upon completion of the application for the civil marriage license, the balance in the amount of $1,500 is paid to the Church. You will certainly appreciate that everything on island is quite expensive and that the Mission is still young and requires a lot of support. We invite you to be as generous as your means allow.
Pre-marital Check List
Please contact one of the priests.
References
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH - 1601
"The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament."
CCC 1601 by USCCB.org
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CCC 1601 by USCCB.org
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CANON LAW 1055 - TITLE VII: MATRIMONY
"The essential properties of marriage are unity and indissolubility; in Christian marriage they acquire a distinctive firmness by reason of the sacrament." Can.1056
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CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: MARRIAGE
"That Christian marriage (i.e. marriage between baptized persons) is really a sacrament of the New Law in the strict sense of the word is for all Catholics an indubitable truth."
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