Marriage and Weddings
Marriage
In the Catholic Church, great value is placed on marriage. It is the foundation of family life and thus, the foundation of society. This lifelong partnership between man and woman is established for their mutual salvation and for the procreation and education of children. It also brings great joy to the lives of parents and children, husbands and wives, living a vocation of self-gift. Married life is designed by God to be a living image of the Trinity, Itself, existing in reciprocal love and support. The Church offers many resources to assist couples in preparing for this great Sacrament, as well as to married couples who are seeking to enrich their daily experience of married life.
Weddings
We very much look forward to helping you plan your beautiful day!
The Catholic Church believes that God is the author of marriage. Marriage is a sacrament (a visible sign of God’s invisible grace at work) that “bears the imprint of God’s love. Thus, when a marriage is celebrated in the community of faith — the Church — the man and woman who become husband and wife state publicly that they wish to cooperate with God in being a sign of His love for all the world.”
Therefore, marriage is not just a human institution despite the many civil, social and cultural structures that are placed upon the union of a man and woman. Rather, it is a vocation, a calling from God leading people to their ultimate destiny of joyful union with Him in heaven. The wedding, therefore, is at one and the same time, a celebration that is very personal to the couple, but one that also belongs to the Church.
Wedding Policies
For your eventual wedding at the Basilica of St. Michael, your journey will be guided by our clergy and lay team.
The links below contain the information and documentation you will need.
After carefully reading the Wedding Guidelines, please complete our wedding request "intake form" (below) in order to answer some preliminary questions regarding your potential wedding. No date will be confirmed until approved by the Rector. Please note that we do not tentatively schedule weddings on the Basilica calendar.
All contact with the Basilica Parish regarding wedding scheduling/planning must be via the bride or groom only. If parents or other relatives call to enquire, they will be instructed to have the bride or groom contact the Basilica directly. There are no exceptions to this policy.