CELEBRATING THE SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE IN PIUS X PARISH
Congratulations on choosing to celebrate the Sacrament of Christian Marriage in St Pius X Parish Church Templeogue. We hope that the information below will help you prepare for a joyful and prayerful celebration. There are a number of steps which you must take to ensure that your marriage is valid in the eyes of the Church and the State. It is a good idea to be organised and to complete these steps in plenty of time before your Wedding Day. For more information on what the Church and the State require, you can go to www.gettingmarried.ie
See also the Dublin Diocesan Liturgy Offices information on planning your wedding. This web site is also a great resource when planning your wedding providing a checklist for the ceremony and even a version of the wedding booklet which you can tailor to meet your requirements.
Fr Pat Rogers has also developed an excellent phone/ipad app for couples preparing for marriage. The app can be found on website www.together.ie; click on Android or Apple version. (Otherwise by Googling: "Irish Wedding Planner Android Apps" OR "Irish Wedding Planner on the App Store on iTunes").
Here follows a number of steps to help guide you in planning your celebration. Please note that while sometimes a parent or other relative may make an initial request to the parish regarding the availability of a date, all responses to requests and all other contacts are with the couple directly).
1. Please contact St Pius X Parish Office (Mon – Thurs 9.30am-12.30) to see if the date and time you seek is available to you.
Tel: 01-4905284
E-mail:
You will then be asked to complete the Request to Celebrate Marriage Form (download here) after which a priest or Deacon will arrange to meet with you to begin step 3.
2. Book your Pre-Marriage course with ACCORD through their website. The earlier you book the more choice you have regarding dates and venues. You will be given a certificate on completion of the course. NB - On line courses are not accepted.
3. Step 3 is the preparation of your Pre- Nuptial Enquiry Papers to establish your freedom to marry in the Catholic church. These papers are very important. You each need to contact a priest of the parish where you live and make an appointment. A minimum of 6 months notice is required. To prepare these papers you will each need to bring…. (a) Your Baptismal Certificate (long from) reissued recently by the parish where you were Baptised
(b) Your Confirmation Certificate – issued by the parish where you were Confirmed.
(c) The completed ‘Freedom to Marry Form’ (completed by a parent or sibling). Download the FREEDOM TO MARRY FORM.
(d) Your pre-Marriage Course Certificate. (once completed) (in some circumstances there may be other documents required as explained by your priest)
4. After your Freedom to Marry in the Catholic Church has been established by the completion of the Pre-Nuptial Enquiry Papers you then contact the Irish civil Registrar of Marriage www.civilregistrationservice.ie to give your civil notice of Marriage. This is legal requirement of Irish Civil Law and you are required to give this notice no less than 3 months before the marriage date. Please follow the requirements on the Registrars website and make an appointment ensuring you bring ALL the information they require including the Name of the Priest who will preside at the celebration of your marriage. The registrar will then issue you your civil ‘Marriage Registration Form’ (MRF).
NB: Please present the MRF form for viewing to the Parish Office immediately after you have received it.
5. After the full and satisfactory completion of your Pre-Nuptial Papers AND the presentation to us and acceptance by us of your Civil Marriage Registration Form (MRF) may your booking be confirmed.
(NB : Some couples may have a relative who is a priest or Deacon and are hoping he will preside at the ceremony. In order to preside at a Marriage Celebration the Priest or Deacon must be named on the Civil List of Solemnisers. Priests or Deacons who are ministering abroad must make contact with the Dublin Archdiocese well in advance (ie. before you make an appointment with the civil registrar) to make the necessary Civil and Church arrangements.)
6. For the Marriage Celebration itself: The preparation of a booklet to help the whole congregation to pray together is recommended. The Priest / Deacon celebrant will guide you through the preparation of the booklet.
When beginning to plan the Celebration you have a choice. To celebrate within the Mass or another Celebration outside the Mass. It is important to consider and be aware of your invited guests, the congregation. Only Roman Catholics may receive Holy Communion during Mass. Please consider and discuss this with your Priest/ Deacon Celebrant.
When selecting music for your wedding please choose music and hymns with sound Christian content which are appropriate to church and appropriate to the particular part of the celebration for which you choose them. All musicians and singers are required to respect the liturgy and to be guided by the priest/ deacon celebrant at the ceremony.
In relation to flowers, you should contact a florist to arrange this for you. Please note that the use of Confetti in the church or in the church grounds is prohibited and we would be obliged if you would inform your family and guests of this. Candles with a naked flame are not permitted under any circumstances in the congregational area of the church including the porches. Please ensure that aisles of the church are kept completely clear and that nothing obstructs access to the doors of the church and make arrangements for the church is left in a tidy and dignified manner after the celebration and that all your guests personal items are removed.
Papal Blessing
You may like to arrange for a Papal Blessing for your Marriage. The application is no longer handled by VERITAS but you can go on line to PAPAL CHARITIES
If you choose to seek a Papal Blessing please give plenty of notice and do note the costs. It is important to remember that a Papal Blessing is NOT a requirement.
Parish Offering
The requested offering to St Pius X Parish is 500 euro. 250 euro is payable at the time of booking with the balance due no less than 3 months before the wedding date. Please make cheques payable to St Pius X Parish
Couples who are not resident in the Parish are required to make arrangements with a visiting priest to preside at the ceremony and must ensure that their priest in appropriately remunerated.
We hope that the information contained above is of help to you and that above all you enjoy your preparations to celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage.
May the Lord Bless you, and all those who will assist you in these months ahead.