Congratulations!

On behalf of the pastor, parish staff and the family of St. Joan of Arc, we pray that this time in which you prepare for your marriage will be filled with holiness and joy and we trust that these guidelines will assist you in properly preparing for matrimony.  Marriage is a sacrament and a vocation.  Sacraments are signs of God's presence among us.  In marriage, couples are called to become signs of the never failing love that Christ has for his Church through the love they have for one another and those around them.  As a vocation, a couple states that they feel called by God to be together for the rest of their life.  Your parish priest or deacon considers it a privilege when asked to officiate at a wedding.

Marriage preparation at St. Joan of Arc consists of the following:

1. Meeting with the priest/deacon. Because of the fragile nature of marriage in our time, the Church asks that there be appropriate time taken in the preparation for this sacrament.  The pastor of St. Joan of Arc has established a policy whereby the priest or deacon meets several times with the engaged couple.  The Diocese has stipulated a FOUR MONTH waiting period.  This allows sufficient time to carry out the various steps of the marriage preparation program. We require that all paperwork for your wedding be finalized at least TWO MONTHS prior to your wedding.
2. Personality Testing.  The Meyers-Briggs type indicator is a description of the personality preferences of the individual.  This test will be administered by the priest/deacon preparing the couple for marriage.  The results of the indicator will be given to the couple for further reference.
3. The Prepare/Enrich program.
4. The Engaged Encounter day/weekend.
5. The Liturgy.  The celebration of the liturgy is the single most important aspect of any wedding, and it is imperative that the couple spend some time thinking about the type of celebration they want to have.
6. Celebrant: Normally speaking, the preside will be the priest/deacon who helped the couple prepare for marriage in our parish.  On occasion a family will have a relative or friend who is a priest or deacon.  We are pleased to have them witness the couple's marriage at St. Joan of Arc.  They must obtain the permission and proper delegation of our pastor.
7. Readers:  The Scripture readings are selected by the couple.  The readers, also chosen by the couple, are expected to prepare the text beforehand.  If at all possible, they should practice using the microphone since sound systems can differ.  It is important that the readers perform their ministry in a way that expresses the fullest meaning of the Scripture.