The Diocese of Lansing requires a minimum of nine months of preparation time before a wedding. However, because of the importance of this lifelong commitment and the challenge of carefully preparing for a marriage while simultaneously planning a wedding and juggling other day-to-day responsibilities, we encourage engaged couples to begin the preparation process even earlier when possible.
How do we begin planning?
Two guides have been prepared.
Wedding Liturgy Prep Guide Readings for Your Ceremony
What if one of us has been married before?
If either of you have been married before, whether in the Church or by any other civil or religious authority, even if you are not Catholic, you will need to obtain an annulment before being married in the Catholic Church. Please contact the parish office for additional information.
Only one partner is required to be a baptized Catholic as long as both partners agree to raise any children in the Catholic faith. The marriage prep office will assist you in completing the necessary paperwork. As part of your marriage preparation, you will also be invited to participate in specific activities or workshops that will allow you and your partner to discuss your spiritual/religious beliefs and find the gifts in both your similarities and differences.
Yes, you may have your union "validated." In most cases, the steps for this are similar to the full marriage preparation program. Please call the parish office for more information.
Any couple preparing for marriage is eligible to attend our marriage preparation classes. However, classes are just one component of our marriage preparation program. MSU students, MSU alumni/ae, and registered members of the Parish are welcome to participate in the full program. It makes sense to prepare for marriage in the parish where you attend Mass. If you are registered at another parish or are attending Mass at another parish, we recommend that you first inquire about preparing for marriage in your own community.
You are still welcome to prepare for marriage at our Parish! Many couples use this window of opportunity as a chance to begin practicing their faith once again. They find that they have been meaning to start going to Mass again, but for whatever reason have not done so. If you do not have a parish that you call "home," we welcome you to consider planting yourself at St. Thomas Aquinas/St. John Student Center! We ask that you attend Mass for a few weeks to get a sense of our community. Then, complete a registration card or register online. Once you are a part of the community, then it would make sense to begin your marriage preparation here. Of course, couples enrolled in our program continue to attend Mass at either parish throughout their marriage preparation and hopefully afterward as well.
God is certainly present in the beauty of creation. You and your fiancé may have found a beautiful location where you would like your family and friends to gather for an outdoor wedding. However, a Catholic wedding is not just a private affair affecting only your family and friends-it affects the entire community. The church building is an important symbol of your faith community, those who helped form your beliefs, those who will witness your vows, and those who will benefit from your service. You and your beloved will find spiritual strength in the people whom that church represents. For these reasons, a wedding between two Catholics is generally celebrated in a Catholic church. A wedding between a Catholic and another Christian should be held either in a Catholic church or another sacred location. Permission for this can be requested during the primary steps of marriage preparation. On rare occasions, such as when a Catholic marries a non-baptized person, a Catholic wedding may take place in a sacred location other than a church.
If you are ready to begin the marriage preparation process, you can request more information by contacting the parish office, and we will contact you in the next few days. We look forward to journeying with you as you prepare for your marriage!