Marriage
Congratulations! We are very happy that you would like to celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony at Our Lady of the Assumption! We look forward to meeting you! This is one of the most exciting times of your lives as you prepare for a lifetime together and we are honored to be a part of it. We join in Pope Francis’ message wishing joy and happiness to engaged couples:
“Marriage is a symbol of life, real life: it is not “fiction”! It is the Sacrament of the love of Christ and the Church, a love which finds its proof and guarantee in the Cross. My desire for you is that you have a good journey, a fruitful one, growing in love. I wish you happiness….May the Lord bless you!”
Pope Francis, Homily, Sept 2014
In any wedding, there is much to do and a six month minimum period of preparation is required for all couples celebrating the Sacrament of Matrimony. Preparation begins with your first meeting with the Marriage Ministry Team.
YOUR FIRST STEP:
Your first step, is to request new copies of your baptism certificate(s). Please contact the church where you were baptized and request a current, NOTATED copy of your baptism certificate. This certificate must be dated within the last six months. We cannot use the certificate given to your parents when you were baptized. If you were baptized in another country, we suggest calling the church directly. If you have relatives living in the area, enlisting their help is often effective.
If one of you was baptized in another Christian church, any certificate or evidence of your baptism is sufficient. If one of you is unbaptized, no document is needed. If you have questions, please call Deacon Bob & Kathy Steighner at 909-626-3596.
YOUR SECOND STEP:
Your second step is to meet with a couple from the Marriage Prep Team to complete the Pre-Nuptial Inquiry and establish your freedom to marry in the Catholic Church. Call the Parish Office* to make an appointment with Deacon Bob & Kathy Steighner in English or Juan Carlos y Anita Muñoz in Spanish. In addition to the required paperwork, we will discuss marriage preparation, discuss the options for your marriage ceremony, determine fees, and answer any questions you may have.
RESERVING YOUR WEDDING DATE AND TIME:
You will be able to reserve your date after meeting to complete initial paperwork and establishing your freedom to marry in the Catholic Church. Dates cannot be reserved in advance of the Pre-Nuptial meeting.
Please call if you have any questions. For your protection, we strongly advise against making any deposits for receptions, or other date specific services, until your date with the church is on the calendar, secured with a deposit of $250.
*Contact the parish office at (909) 626-3596 ext. 0 to make an appointment or for more information about planning your wedding.
COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Can we reserve a date today?
We cannot promise or reserve dates until after the Pre-Nuptial Inquiry is completed and it is confirmed that you are free to marry in the Catholic Church. Prior to this meeting, you each need to obtain new copies of your baptism certificates, dated within the last six months. We cannot use the certificate your parents were given at your baptism.
What are the wedding times for a Saturday wedding?
Weddings may be scheduled on Saturdays at 10:00 am, 12:00 pm or 2:00 pm as available.
Can we get married during the week?
It is possible to plan your wedding for a weekday afternoon or evening if it is free on the church calendar and does not conflict with the OLA School schedule or activities. We do not schedule weddings on Sundays.
How much does it cost to get married at OLA?
This depends on your individual circumstances. Please see Policies and Church Use Guidelines for the Sacrament of Matrimony** for current fees in common circumstances. If you are looking for something not covered by the guidelines, please call Deacon Bob & Kathy Steighner to discuss your individual situation.
Neither of us or our families belong to OLA parish. Can we have our wedding at OLA?
Canon Law states that couples should marry in a parish where one of them lives, where they are parishioners. We understand that parishioners of OLA often live in other local cities, and we include those who grew up in our parish or went to school here. While exceptions to this general guideline can be made for compelling reasons and with permission, it is good advice to begin in your home parish, where you live and worship, in your personal community of faith.
Do we both need to be confirmed to be married at OLA?
It is not required to be confirmed to be married at OLA. We very much encourage adults to prepare for sacraments through the adult programs offered through the Faith Formation Office.
- An Adult Confirmation Class is offered for those already baptized who have made their 1st Communion.
- OCIA prepares adults seeking Baptism, 1st Communion & Confirmation or 1st Communion & Confirmation and adults wishing to join the Catholic Church.
Our families speak another language. Can we have our wedding in that language or a bilingual wedding?
As a multi-lingual parish, OLA is blessed to have priests and deacons who are fluent in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Tagalog. Masses are regularly offered in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. We are happy to help plan your bilingual wedding celebration.
We have a friend (or relative) who is a priest. Can he preside at our wedding at OLA?
Yes! Priests from other parishes are welcome to preside at your wedding, with our pastor’s approval. Priests outside the Archdiocese of Los Angeles must provide a recent Letter of Good Standing (Celebrets) from their diocese.
One of us is not Catholic. Can we get married at OLA?
At least one person must be baptised Catholic to be married at OLA. If the other fiancé is not Catholic, permission may be requested during the Pre-Nuptial meeting. The couple will be asked to formally agree that the Catholic can freely continue the practice of their faith and that any children of the marriage will be raised Catholic. Conversion is not required to marry at OLA. We encourage people from other faiths to continue worship within their faith expression.
All are invited to join us in worship at Mass. The OCIA Program invites all those interested in learning more about the Catholic faith to journey with them.
We have been civilly married and would like to “have our marriage blessed”. Can you help us?
We are delighted to help couples celebrate their marriage sacramentally in the church! This is called Convalidation. Please obtain new copies of your baptism certificates as stated above and call for an appointment to meet with a member of the Marriage Ministry Team. Please bring your civil certificate to that meeting.
One (or both) of us was married before. Can we get married in the Catholic Church?
From time to time, good people, wishing to marry in the Catholic Church face obstacles such as a previous marriage. Please know – there is hope!
Following Jesus’ teaching, “What God has joined together, no human being must separate” (Matthew 19:6), the Catholic Church holds that no one can enter a new marriage while a valid marriage still exists. If someone has been married previously, a formal determination must be made whether the first marriage was a valid sacrament, before a new marriage can be considered. Depending on circumstances, this process can be simple, requiring a Petition for Lack of Form or more complex, requiring a formal annulment or other process.
If you have a previous marriage, please call Deacon Bob & Kathy Steighner to make an appointment to confidentially and non-judgmentally discuss your individual situation and determine the best path forward. A member of the OLA Annulment Team will walk with you through every step of the process!
** Policies and Church Use Guidelines for the Sacrament of Matrimony
Music for Wedding Masses
Music can help add to the beauty of this truly wonderful sacrament. Follow this link to find some music suggestions to help make your nuptial Mass a unique reflection of you and your future spouse:
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Marriage Ministry contacts:
Please call the Parish Office at 909-626-3596 to contact:
Deacon Bob & Kathy Steighner, Marriage Ministry Coordinators
Deacon Joe Domond*
Juan Carlos & Anita Muñoz*
Mary Muñoz*, Director of Liturgy and Music
*Bilingual English / Spanish speaking
In Vietnamese
Fr. Paul Phan
Prayer for Marriage & Family
Pope John Paul II
Lord God, from you every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.
Father, you are Love and Life.
Through your Son, Jesus Christ, born of woman, and through the Holy Spirit, fountain of divine charity, grant that every family on earth may become for each successive generation a true shrine of life and love.
Grant that your grace may guide the thoughts and actions of husbands and wives for the good of their families and of all the families in the world.
Grant that the young may find in the family solid support for their human dignity and for their growth in truth and love.
Grant that love, strengthened by the grace of the sacrament of marriage,may prove mightier than all the weakness and trials through which our families sometimes pass.
Through the intercession of the Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that the Church may fruitfully carry out her worldwide mission in the family and through the family.
Through Christ our Lord, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life for ever and ever.
Amen