Marriage

“A wedding is for a day; a marriage is for a lifetime.”

We want very much to support you in preparing your wedding day, but more importantly Immaculate Conception Church wishes to be an ongoing support to you in your marriage. For this reason it makes sense that the couple be active, registered members of the parish.

Marriage Preparation

Congratulations on your engagement!

The necessity of adequate preparation to celebrate the sacrament of marriage and faithfully live this important state in life cannot be overemphasized. In order to facilitate this necessary preparation and offer encouragement and support, the diocese requires that a parish priest be contacted six months prior to the proposed wedding date.

The first step is for the couple to call the parish office and arrange for an appointment with the pastor. This is an in-person meeting between the pastor and the couple. No wedding date or time will be discussed over the telephone. Today’s wedding ritual allows many opportunities to personalize the ceremony. There will be several meetings scheduled with the pastor and the Director of Liturgy/Music to discuss plans and respond to any questions or concerns.

Sacramental Guidelines for Marriage

1. The couple interviews with the pastor to determine freedom to marry, understanding of commitment and their ability to live out that commitment. 
    
2. Based on advance consultation with the pastor, the couple completes:
   1. the diocesan one-day Marriage Preparation Forum.
   2. the FOCCUS Interest Survey. 
       
3. In conjunction with the Marriage Preparation Forum, the couple completes the FOCCUS Interest Survey, and meets with the FOCCUS Team Couple to review the results. 
    
4. The Catholic party's/parties' baptismal certificate(s) must be obtained from the parish where the parties were baptized. This process is accomplished by calling the parish and having the parish issue a current baptismal certificate six months prior to the date of the wedding. If one party is non-Catholic, other documentation of Christian baptism is obtained within six months of the wedding date. The same process applies to the non-Catholic party as the Catholic party. Any other necessary documentation and paperwork is completed. 
    
5. The pastor makes the final decision to proceed with or delay the marriage.

What is FOCCUS?

FOCCUS (Facilitating Open Couple Communication, Understanding and Study) was created to deal with the current issues and needs in marriage preparation.

FOCCUS explores basic expectations, communication and problem solving skills, and attitudes on money, children, religion, sexuality and in-laws. In addition, it attempts to sharpen communication regarding compatibility, background, two-career families, interfaith marriage and second marriages. It is not a test to predict if a marriage will be successful.

All couples marrying or preparing for marriage in the Diocese of Raleigh are required to complete the FOCCUS.

Convalidation

If you were married outside the church and are interested in celebrating the sacrament of marriage, please contact the pastor.