Marriage at Our Ladye Star of the Sea
The decision to marry is one of the most important choices in anyone’s life. The church teaches that marriage is a life-long partnership between one man and one woman, established by God. When asking to be married in the Catholic Church, you are accepting the Christian and Catholic understanding of marriage:
Marriage is an exclusive and indissoluble union.
Spouses have an obligation to one another of faithfulness, mutual love and support.
Spouses must be open to the possibility that God will bless their marriage with children.
A marriage is formed when a man and a woman freely and irrevocably give and accept one another as husband and wife, according to the rites and laws of the Church. God joins the spouses together in an irrevocable covenant and gives them His grace to help them love one another and be open to the possibility of having a family.
If you are hoping to be married at Our Ladye Star of the Sea or if you live nearby and need to arrange your Catholic marriage elsewhere (perhaps overseas), this is what you need to know:
One partner (preferably both) must be baptised Roman (or Eastern Rite) Catholic.
Neither partner should have been previously married.
You are living in Our Ladye Star of the Sea parish or regularly attending Mass here, or that you have a genuine connection with our parish life here in Greenwich (e.g. you are a past member of the Ursuline School, you were Baptised or Confirmed at this church, or that your family has been connected here in the past).
You will need to arrange to meet with Father Tom. You will need to attend in person to commence the paperwork allowing for a Catholic Church wedding.
At least SIX months’ notice is required in advance of the date of the proposed wedding. Once the paperwork has commenced and preliminary discussions are satisfactory, a date will be agreed for the ceremony.
Then you will need to:
- Obtain a recent copy of your Baptism Certificate (from the Church where you were originally baptised).
- Arrange for a marriage ‘schedule’ document from the appropriate Local Authority Registry Office.
- Complete a Diocesan Preparation Course for Catholic Marriage and obtain the certificate for completing the course.
Weddings normally take place on Saturdays. It is only possible to facilitate two weddings on the same day. A wedding on a weekday is normally acceptable. Sunday weddings are not available.
Our wedding planner booklet is a good place to find more information.
