Congratulations!
The celebration of a wedding is a wonderful event. It involves the bride and groom most directly, but it also celebrates your families and the parish community to which one, or both, of you belong. Marriage reaches very deeply into the faith experience of the Catholic Church, since this commitment participates in and signifies the all-embracing love of Jesus Christ in our midst. It is our deep desire that your marriage celebration express this faith in Christ, present with us here and now.
In the belief of the Catholic Church, when two baptized Christians marry it is the awesome undertaking of a sacramental vocation. We encourage couples to pray together individually for God’s loving and guiding presence in their relationship. With any need in praying or knowing the faith of the Church, just ask, we’re here to assist.
A recent study showed that among couples who pray together on a daily basis and attend weekly church services, LESS THAN 2% GET DIVORCED. Those couples who are religious also report being the happiest in their marriages. The Church wants nothing more than for a married couple to have a healthy relationship. Asking couples to attend Mass weekly and to pray together should not be viewed as a “hoop to jump through” in order to get married. Rather, this is the foundation to build upon for a strong marriage.
But in the end, as Christians we have an obligation to fulfill our covenant relationship with God. It is God who gives us the Third Commandment: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy”
Marriage Preparation
The engaged couple should contact the parish priest at least NINE MONTHS prior to the desired date of the wedding (and before setting an exact date!). The couple will meet with the priest to complete the FOCCUS (Facilitating Open Couple Communication Understanding and Study) pre-marriage inventory. When you meet with the priest, you will receive an information packet regarding the ceremony, music, and other details of planning your wedding ceremony. A mentor couple from the parish will then meet with the engaged couple 2 or 3 times to review the FOCCUS. You will also receive information about the two seminars that the engaged couple is required to participate in:
- The ENGAGED SEMINAR in held on a Saturday, at St. John or another local parish.
- WE C.A.R.E. is a six hour program for Communication And Relationship Enhancement, offered regularly in the Lansing area.
Weddings may be celebrated at St. John Student Parish on Friday evenings, or on Saturdays at 11:00am or 2:00pm. Weddings are held at St. Thomas Aquinas Friday evenings or Saturdays at 11:30am or 1:30pm. Weddings may also be celebrated at the MSU Alumni Chapel according to their schedule. Please note that no weddings are held during Lent.
For more information, contact the St Thomas Aquinas Parish Office at (517) 351-7215 or the St. John Church & Student Center Office at (517) 337-9778.