Congratulations!  We realize that there are many pressures on a couple planning to get married. We would like to ease some of those pressures by answering a few important questions in this section of our web site.

As soon as possible, an appointment should be made with the priest or deacon of your choice. During the first interview, the necessary forms will be filled-out, and the date and time of the wedding and the rehearsal will be temporarily reserved for the couple.  Depending on the readiness of the couple for the sacrament, any annulments needed, and the issues to be discussed and resolved, six months or more of preparation will follow this initial meeting and precede the celebration.  Because of this preparation and the time needed to reserve a place for the reception, many couples are meeting with the priest or deacon as early as six to twelve months before the desired marriage date.  Please call the Parish Office (410-255-3677) to schedule this initial interview.

You will need a recent official copy of the Catholic party's (parties') Baptismal certificate(s) dated within six months of the proposed wedding date.  This certificate can only be obtained from the church of your baptism.  No photocopies are acceptable.  An official copy of the non-Catholic party's Baptism certificate is not required, but the date and place of the Baptism are needed.

As Catholics, we believe that the purpose of the priest/deacon is not to "marry" the couple.  The priest/deacon is not the minister of the Sacrament of Marriage; the couple is the minister of the sacrament to one another and to the Church.  The priest's/deacon's responsibility is to prepare the couple to be the best ministers of the sacrament and to be able to say, as the Church's official witness to the sacrament, that the couple is completely free, able, and willing to minister the sacrament to one another and to the Church.

Attendance in a marriage preparation process/program prior to the reception of the Sacrament of Matrimony is the policy of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.  Our parish offers its own preparation programs: one is the "Sponsor Couple Program" where you will meet several times with a married couple trained to provide guidance and experience in marriage; the other is a program provided by the Pastoral Associate who is also trained in providing guidance and spiritual counseling in the married life.  To register for either of these programs please contact the parish office.  

Other Marriage Preparation Programs, such as "Engaged Encounter" or "Pre-Cana" offered by the Archdiocese of Baltimore, may be also be taken.  As these programs are quite popular, they fill quickly.  Please contact the Archdiocese Office of Marriage Preparation and Enrichment (410-547-5417) for more detailed information. 

May the Lord richly bless this time of preparation for your reception of the Sacrament of Matrimony, upholding and guiding you as you grow in your understanding of the spiritual and worldly realties of married life.  May the light and wisdom of our Catholic faith and the experience of couples already married assist you.