MARRIAGE

If you have been recently engaged, Congratulations! If you would like to prepare for the Sacrament of Matrimony through Ascension Catholic Church, these are the steps you will need to take.

• Meet with our pastor. Contact Maureen Jarrell at the parish office 321-254-1595  x3072 or email mjarrell@ascensioncatholic.net to schedule a consultation with Fr. John Bosco. 
• Meet with a marriage support couple to take a pre-marital inventory questionnaire called FOCCUS. This inventory will help you see to what extent you are on the same page when it comes to many issues.
• Pre-Cana Event. Our diocesan family office offers two different events: a one day pre-cana seminar in which several speakers address issues such as communication, finances, family planning and a weekend event called Engaged Encounter Retreat. This event primarily focuses on enhancing the engaged couple’s communication skills. The couple can attend both events, but must participate in one of the events.
• Meet with priest or deacon to complete marriage file. 
• Meet with a parish music minister to plan the music for the wedding.
• Meet with a Wedding Consultant to plan the plan the rehearsal of marriage ceremony of marriage ceremony

If one or both of the engaged parties had a previous marriage, they will need to check if the previous marriage is an impediment to a new marriage in the Catholic Church. For more details on annulments, see information below.

If the Catholic party/parties have been disconnected from Church, they must be willing to start attending Mass on a regular basis.

Donations/Fees

There is a customary fee for the services of our Wedding Consultant, which includes her presence at both the rehearsal and the wedding ceremony. The amount varies in accordance with the unique requests of each couple.

There is also a customary fee for the musician(s) who will assist with your liturgy.  This amount will vary with unique requests and should be discussed directly with the musicians involved.

It is customary to give a donation to the priest/deacon presiding at your liturgy. The average donation is $100. If this is a hardship less will be fine.

Convalidation of a Marriage

Couples who are already married and wish to have their marriage blessed in a Catholic Church will normally go through the above steps. If the couple is married a long time or if the couple is elderly, the pastor may decide that some of the above steps will not be required.

Annulments

• A person who intends to remarry in the Catholic Church must first obtain an annulment of his/her previous marriage. The grounds for annulment will be discussed in your meeting with the pastor.
• Not all marriages can be annulled. A good marriage that lasted a long period of time will normally not qualify for annulment.
• Marriages that existed only a few years has a good chance of being annulled.
• Please note: a divorced Catholic does not need to petition the Church for a declaration of nullity unless he or she is seeking to marry in the Church. Divorced Catholics who do not remarry are welcomed to receive the Eucharist.

LACK OF FORM CASE

• A baptized Catholic whose marriage was not blessed in the Catholic Church and now intends to remarry in the Church, must petition for a Lack of Form annulment. This is a very simple process which requires the petitioner to complete a one-page questionnaire and to provide a recently issued copy of the baptismal certificate and legally certified copies of the marriage and divorce certificates, which will be forwarded to the Marriage Tribunal. In a Lack of Form case, annulment is automatically granted about one month later.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

• In the Diocese of Orlando, the annulment process usually takes one year.
• There is no fee for a Declaration of Nullity.
• An annulment does not in any way impact the status of the children. Children born of a civil or church marriage are legitimate offsprings and nothing can make them illegitimate.

 

CONTACT INFORMATION: For further questions about the annulment process, please contact Deacon Sergio 321-254-1595 ext. 3082, scolon@ascensioncatholic.net at the parish office.