Marriage Guidelines and Procedures
Marriage Guidelines and Procedures Document PDF Download
Requirements:
1. One party must be Catholic.
2. If either party is divorced he/she must have an annulment before being married again in the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church recognizes marriages from other faiths and thus if you are not Catholic and are divorced you may have to seek an annulment before being allowed to marry in the Catholic Church. Be advised this process may take 9 months to a year depending on the case. We cannot book your wedding until the annulment goes through.
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3. Pre-Cana is required of both parties. Dates will be provided by the Diocese of Charlotte Website. You can find this information at http://www.cssnc.org/. Look under services/marriage preparation or call 704-370-3228.
4. Six months advance notice must be provided.
5. Each spouse, if Catholic, must provide their baptismal certificate. These certificates should be included with the deposit.
6. Canonical paperwork must be filled out with Fr. Carmen Malacari.
7. The Sacrament of Confirmation is not a requirement but if you have not been confirmed you may be able to receive this Sacrament during the Easter season before your marriage.
Initial Contact:
Contact Administrative Assistant, Rosemary Woods to inquire as to whether desired date is available. 704-483-6448 x307
Follow-up:
Fr. Carmen Malacari will be in touch with you to make further arrangements.
Celebrant:
Fr. Carmen Malacari will officiate at the wedding. You may invite another priest to officiate. Please have him call Fr. Carmen to discuss arrangements.
Appointments with Fr. Carmen Malacari:
After we have received your deposit and baptismal records, Rosemary Woods will arrange a time for you to meet with Fr. Carmen. At this first appointment, you will fill out the canonical forms and make initial plans. One month before your wedding you will meet once again to finalize plans.
Outside Priest:
Any priest in good standing with his diocese is welcome to celebrate a wedding at Holy Spirit. The bride and groom will be responsible for any stipend to the visiting priest.
Mixed Religion;
If you are marrying a non-Catholic we encourage a wedding ceremony without a Mass so as not to make it uncomfortable for the non-Catholic members of the congregation. The wedding ceremony without the Mass is very similar to the Nuptial Mass with the exception of the Eucharistic prayer and the distribution of communion.
Unity Candle Lighting Ceremony:
Many couples include this ceremony at their wedding. The mothers (or whoever the bride and groom choose) light individual candles and after the exchange of rings the newly married couple light the wedding candle. The set of three candles is provided by the couple. ( A holder for candles should also be included to ensure correct size)
Marriage License:
Please make sure that you obtain a Marriage License no earlier than 1 month and no less than 24 hours prior to the wedding. It must be brought with you at the time of the rehearsal. The Maid of Honor and the Best Man will sign it at the rehearsal as your witnesses. Some couples have more than two witnesses. You must be prepared to have only two witnesses sign the license.
Music
Brandi Helma is the Director of Music at Holy Spirit. She sings, plays the piano and organ and will help you choose music. Please be aware that the selection of appropriate music is preferred for the religious portion of the marriage ceremony. Please discuss fee for wedding ceremony directly with Brandi. She can be reached at 704-483-6448 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Rehearsal:
The rehearsal is usually the evening before the ceremony. Fr. Carmen will book your rehearsal time at your initial meeting with him. He will conduct your wedding rehearsal. It is of utmost importance that you and your wedding party be on time for the rehearsal. (There could be more than one rehearsal scheduled on a Friday evening.) If you are late, your rehearsal may be cut very short.
Flowers:
You are welcome to order flowers for the altar. It is requested that at least one bouquet be left at the church as a gift for the many blessings God has bestowed on you this day.
Wedding Day:
Groomsmen, please be at the Church 45 minutes before the start of the ceremony. Bride and bridesmaids, please be at the Church 15 minutes before the ceremony. We must insist that you be on time.
Pictures:
The taking of pictures and video recording the ceremony is certainly welcome. Please ask your photographers not to be intrusive.
Fees:
$300 with a $150 Deposit which secures the day and time of the wedding. The fee covers the Church, Celebrant, Rehearsal and Maintenance. The balance after the deposit is requested no later than two weeks before the ceremony. Checks should be made out to "Holy Spirit Catholic Church." If your wedding is cancelled and we are able to reschedule another wedding, the deposit will be returned.