Marriage Preparation

- What Do We Believe
Steps to Getting Married in the Church

Here are the practical steps to getting married in the Catholic Church.

1. Contact your parish pastor asap.
This should be done as soon as you get engaged and before the wedding date is set. At the very least it needs to be done six months before your wedding. Your pastor will be able to guide you through the other steps and ensure that there is nothing that may prevent you from getting married in the Church.

2. Choose a marriage preparation course.
We are lucky to have several different marriage preparation options in the Archdiocese. Your pastor has to approve the course you take, so talk to him beforehand to see what route is best for you.

3. Submit your marriage prep 'proof of completion' to the pastor.
Whichever course you take, your marriage prep will equip you with a new perspective and practical tools for living your life as husband and wife. You will also get a lovely certificate at the end that your pastor needs for your records.

4. Make time for any additional meetings.
You may need to commit to meetings to go over the wedding liturgy, finalize paperwork, or follow up after marriage prep.

5. Obtain a Civil Marriage License.
This needs to be delivered to the parish before the wedding in order for your marriage to be recognized by the government. Please see the Province of Ontario website for details.

- Sessions de préparation au sacrement du mariage
Congratulations on your engagement! The next weeks and months will likely be a blur of anticipation and planning. As you are busy sharing the great news and throwing around wedding day ideas, we encourage you to invite God into this exciting and joyful time in your relationship. Embracing marriage as a sacrament will transform your whole life together and take your love to a much deeper level.
Upcoming Marriage Preparation Courses
St. Joseph Parish, Ottawa
- October 29-30, 2022, in person
- Weekly, beginning Thurs., October 6 until mid-December
Register with Paul Dansereau (pdansereau@st-josephs.ca)

Marriages for Mary
Marriages for Mary, based out of Metcalfe, is now offering in person Marriage Preparation retreat courses. For more info, please contact Gerard and Rita McCarthy by email or by phone at 613-408-0383 or marriagesformary@gmail.com. Visit www.marriagesformary.com to find out about the course, along with sample schedules.
Online
- September 17, 2022 (online)
In-person
- October 14-16, 2022
- November 25-27, 2022
- December 9-11, 2022
- January 27-29, 2023
- February 17-19, 2023
- March 24-26, 2023
- April 14-16, 2023
- May 26-28, 2023
- June 23-25, 2023
Engaged Encounter Weekend
The Engaged Encounter, a Vatican-recognized program has been successfully used worldwide for a number of years. On the website is a list of upcoming courses along with what couples need to know to participate. If you are seeking a weekend in VIRTUAL format (ZOOM) to prepare for the vocation of marriage in the Catholic Church, please review the webpage for more information and if you choose, register with us by using the following link: https://www.ceeeast.org
Upcoming weekend:
- September 23-24-25, 2022
Online Marriage Preparation Courses
For your information, there are several online possibilities for Marriage Preparation. All three of the online courses are approved by the Bishops.

Pre-Cana Marriage Prep Class (8 hours, $195 USD)
catholicmarriageprepclass.com

Catholic Marriage Prep (3 to 6 weeks, 20 hours of active work, $194 USD) (available in English, French and Spanish)
catholicmarriageprep.com

Living Our Faith in Love (8 hours, $195 USD) (8 hours)
livingourfaithinlove.com