Holy Matrimony

GUIDE TO PLANNING YOUR WEDDING AT

CHRIST THE KING CATHOLIC CHURCH

Congratulations on your engagement! This is a wonderful time of joy and anticipation.

The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a lifelong union between a man and a woman. When two baptized Christians enter into marriage freely, understanding its sacredness, permanency and indissolubility, their marriage is a sacrament, a sacred covenant between them and God that can only be broken by death.

Because marriage is lifelong, the Church wants to help you build a strong, lasting marriage. For this reason, couples seeking marriage in the Catholic Church are asked to spend several months in marriage preparation.

The following is a step-by-step guide to getting married in the Catholic Church at Christ the King Church:

1. Contact the Church Office at least 8 months prior to tentative wedding date.

  • Call the church office 501-225-6774 and make an appointment to speak with one of the priests.

  • During your initial meeting the necessary paperwork (Pre-Nuptial Questionnaire) and assessment of preparation for marriage will begin.

  • Special circumstances, such as being underage, pregnancy, from different religious backgrounds or previously married, will be addressed.

2. Take FOCCUS Inventory.

  • After your initial meeting with the Priest, you will complete a FOCCUS marriage preparation inventory.

  • You and your fiancé will take a premarital inventory designed to help you learn more about each other and your unique relationship. Couples getting married at Christ the King take the Facilitating Open Couple Communication Understanding and Study (FOCCUS).

  • Then you will spend time with the priest preparing you for marriage to reflect on your responses and how they affect your relationship and might carry over into your married life.

3. Attend a Marriage Education Program

  • Together you will participate in a formal marriage preparation course, such as Pre-Cana, Sponsor Couple or another program approved by the Pastor. Which program you attend is determined in consultation with the priest.

4. Attend a full course of Natural Family Planning (NFP)

  • Together you will participate in Natural Family Planning course. NFP is an umbrella term to describe the methods used to achieve or avoid pregnancy based on observation of the naturally occurring signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman’s menstrual cycle.

  • The NFP classes must be scheduled and completed no later than (1) one month.

  • Go to https://dolr.org/family-life/nfp to choose a provider and class series.

  • Class series may be 2-3 sessions depending on the provider.

5. Plan the Wedding

  • Meet with our Wedding Coordinator, Nila Cassandra (ncassandra@ctklr.org) to review policies on the use of Christ the King Church, plan the wedding liturgy, and discuss the wedding rehearsal (at least 2 months prior to wedding date).

  • Meet with the Finance Director, Jackie Kaufman (jkaufman@ctklr.org) to pay for Wedding Coordinator services, use of Bridal Room and rental fees for use of facilities for reception.

6. Final Step

  • Check with priest preparing you for marriage to make sure all paperwork is completed.

7. Pray Together

  • The wedding day and forever. Couples should pray with each other and for their upcoming marital life together.

  • After the wedding, couples should continue to enrich, pray and care for their marriage.