Marriage Preparation
Congratulations on your engagement!

Marriage is one of the seven sacraments and should be entered into with great reverence, discernment, and preparation.  We very much want to support you in preparing for your wedding day, but more importantly, the parish wishes to be an ongoing support to you in your marriage. For this reason it makes sense that you be active, registered members of the parish.

The necessity of adequate preparation to celebrate the sacrament of marriage and faithfully live this important state in life cannot be overemphasized, therefore you should begin the preparation process 6 months prior to your intended wedding date.  Prior to beginning the preparation process, you may be interested in reviewing the Diocese of Raleigh's answers to many frequently asked questions. We also encourage you to explore additional marriage resources on our web site and others, such as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' initiative, For Your Marriage.
 
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Preparation for Sacramental Marriage at Holy Infant
  1. Plan to begin marriage preparation six months prior to the proposed wedding date.
  2. The Christian parties (including non-Catholics) must each obtain a baptismal certificate or other acceptable documentation of Christian baptism from the church of baptism issued and dated within six months of the proposed wedding date.  This documentation must be brought to the initial in-person meeting with the pastor. 
  3. The couple should call the parish and ask to speak with the pastor to schedule an in-person meeting. You will discuss with the pastor your freedom to marry, your understanding of commitment, and your ability to live out that commitment. Wedding dates, times, and other questions you may have as a couple, as well as other documentation required as part of the marriage preparation process, will be addressed during this in-person meeting.
  4. Based on advance consultation with the pastor, you will complete either  the parish's Sponsor Couple Program OR the diocesan one-day Marriage Preparation Workshop or the diocesan Weekend for Engaged Couples. These programs offer you the opportunity to discuss privately, openly and honestly your life together, your strengths and weaknesses, your desires, ambitions and goals, your attitudes about money, sex, children, and family, and your role in the Church and society.
  5. In conjunction with either the Sponsor Couple Program, the Marriage Preparation Workshop, or the Weekend for Engaged Couples, you will complete Fully Engaged (see below) and later meet with the pastor to review the results.
  6. When you have completed the marriage preparation process (generally about 6 weeks before your wedding date), the parish submits your completed paperwork to the Diocese of Raleigh. 
  7. The Diocese of Raleigh prepares your Certificate of Marriage and other documentation as needed.  This documentation is sent to the parish or to the diocese where you are being married.  That diocese then sends the documentation to the church of marriage.
What is Fully Engaged?

Fully Engaged is a Catholic pre-marital inventory tool and marriage formation program developed to help engaged couples solidify the foundation upon which they, together with Christ, will build their sacramental marriage.  Its purpose is to assist you in learning more about one another and in facilitating your discussion about issues encountered in marriage. The program invites you to become more familiar with the Catholic tradition of marriage, more involved in parish life, and more committed to Christ and one another.
 
The bride and the groom each complete an individual inventory online.  After completing your inventories, you will schedule a time to review the results with the priest preparing you for marriage or his delegate.
 
All couples completing marriage preparation in the Diocese of Raleigh are required to complete Fully Engaged. A couple's registration to complete Fully Engaged is done by the parish (for couples completing the Sponsor Couple Program) OR by the diocese (for couples completing a diocesan workshop or weekend).
 
Convalidation

If you were married outside the Catholic church and are interested in celebrating the sacrament of marriage, please contact the pastor.

 
 

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