Getting Started

Catholics ordinarily celebrate their wedding in the parish of which the bride or groom is a member. 

It is imperative that all wedding requests are first funneled through the Pastoral Assistants, Gail Graham or Andrea Garcia, for an initial intake. This meeting will help determine that both parties are free and ready to marry. Only after this meeting can a date be set for your wedding.  No dates are ever set, even tentatively, by other staff members or over the telephone.

The Pastoral Assistants will assign you to a Priest or Deacon for your Pre-Marriage Interview. This needs to take place at least six months prior to your wedding date to allow adequate time to prepare for the marriage. Note:  All previous marriages, civil, non-Catholic, and Catholic, are presumed to be valid by the Catholic Church.  A previously married person is free to marry in the Catholic Church only if the former spouse has died or if the previous marriage has been declared invalid by a church tribunal.  A WEDDING DATE CANNOT BE SET, EVEN TENTATIVELY, BEFORE SUCH AN ANNULMENT HAS BEEN GRANTED.

At St. Thomas Aquinas, every engaged couple is expected to take the FOCUS Inventory, a pre-marital inventory that will provide a basis for future discussion and preparation, and/or work with a sponsor couple.  When preparation with the sponsor couple is completed, the engaged couple should present their certificate of participation to the priest or deacon.

Your priest or deacon will request subsequent meetings with you according to circumstances.  It is your responsibility to contact the priest or deacon to arrange these meetings in good time before the wedding.