Marriage Preparation

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.

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.

Although there are currently no in person courses, couples must still take a course. The list below will be updated as new information becomes available.

St Mary’s Parish in Ottawa - January 27 to March 24
St. Mary’s parish is offering an “online” marriage preparation course on Wednesday evenings, starting January 27, 2021 (7 weekly meetings). For more information and registration, please contact Howie and Véronique Fohr at marriagepreparation@stmarysottawa.ca  

St Joseph's Parish in Ottawa - April 17 and 18
Click here for more information and to register for their online course which will be via Zoom.

Marriages for Mary
Marriages for Mary, based out of Metcalfe, is offering an online Marriage Preparation retreat course. Please contact Gerard and Rita McCarthy by email or by phone at 709-697-2788 for more information.

Engaged Encounter Weekend
The Engaged Encounter program has been successfully used by the former Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall for a number of years. The following is a list of upcoming courses along with what couples need to know.

If you are seeking a weekend format to prepare for marriage in the Catholic Church, please register with us by using the following link: Catholic Engaged Encounter-Eastern Canada District

• Venue: Via Zoom 
• Fee for the weekend: $150 which includes a non-refundable fee of $50.00 if cancelled. 

Important:  Please review the Couple Expectations which can be found by clicking here. If you have any questions prior to registration, please email the team at ceeecanada@gmail.com or call Ginette at 1-613-932-1360.

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

Dynamic Catholic Marriage Preparation
If you are located in what was the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall, the pastoral office has two copies of Dynamic Catholic’s Better Together Marriage Preparation Course.