Meeting the Priest and Practising the Faith

In order for us to celebrate your marriage at St. John’s, at least one of the parties must be a practising Catholic and a member of St. John’s parish community. The couple will need to meet the priest at least twice prior to the wedding, once to set the date and secondly to complete the necessary paper work.

Marriage Preparation Course

A Marriage Preparation Course is required for all couples considering marriage at St. John’s. At the initial interview the priest will explain the options available in order to fulfil this requirement.

The program that is offered at St. John’s is held in February once a year. It takes place in the Parish Centre, 432 Ontario Street, Newmarket. The dates for 2012 are as follows:

Monday, February 20, 2012 from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm;

Thursday, February 23, 2012 from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm;

Saturday, February 25, 2012 from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm;

(The Saturday session is two sessions)

Sessions are approximately three hours long except for the Saturday session. Refreshments will be provided for the “break” each session.

Course materials such as books, name tags and paper will be provided.

The first Sunday after completion of the course, there will be a presentation of the certificates at one of the Sunday Masses.
 

In order to register for the course and for more information, please contact the office at 905-898-4137. You can download and print the Registration Form on the right of this column.
 

We are also looking for volunteer couples to assist with the facilitation of the programme. Committed couples looking to enrich their own relationships and who are willing to commit to attending several planning sessions and all three marriage preparation classes can leave a message for Betty Francis at the parish

St. John's
Marriage Preparation Course 

to register click the PDF link to the form below
Print the PDF file, fill it out and drop it off at the parish office

Registration Form for 2012

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Marriage with a person of another faith or no faith is common in our society and there is no requirement that the other person become a Catholic. But we do ask the Catholic party in such a situation to promise to continue to practice the faith and also to try to have any children of the marriage baptised and raised in the Catholic Church. Regarding Mass at mixed religion ceremonies, please see the notes regarding the wedding ceremony on page 2.

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A new copy of the baptismal certificate is required for all Catholics. This is easily obtained by phoning or writing the church of baptism. This is a world wide policy and so regardless of the country of baptism there should be very few problems in this matter. Any certificate, or a photocopy of a certificate is all that is required for non-catholic Christians.

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Marriage Licence

A marriage licence is required by the law of Ontario for most marriages. This can be obtained at most municipal offices in Ontario. There is a fee for this and some proof of identity is required. In Newmarket, the office is located at 395 Mulock Drive. Check their office hours and what documentation is required.

Marriage Information
and Requirements

 

Some marriages may be performed by Banns form, essentially the same as a licence, but issued by the church. Check with the priest regarding this option.

The marriage must take place within 90 days of obtaining the licence, thus do not try to get it too early. Nonetheless, bring the licence to the church well before the marriage date.

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