Building up the Body of Christ with welcoming arms, loving hearts and joyful worship.
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Congratulations on your engagement!
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Preparation is the secret to success. Without it we must struggle through unknowns and hope we end up doing the right things at the right times. Studies on marriage reflect that couples who are well prepared before marriage have much less of a tendency to end up in divorce court. We here at Holy Archangels Parish pledge to do everything we can to prepare you the best way possible for your life-long commitment.
SCHEDULING A WEDDING AT HOLY ARCHANGELS PARISH
Contact the parish office 847-885-7700 x103 to check for available dates at St. Hubert Church or St. Matthew Church and schedule your wedding. Please do not reserve your banquet hall before confirming the date with the church.FIRST MEETING WITH A DEACON
After setting your wedding date, you will be contacted by one of our deacons to arrange your first appointment. At this meeting, the deacon will get acquainted with you, will walk you through the marriage preparation process, and answer any questions you may have.
FOCCUS PREMARITAL INVENTORY
FOCCUS is a premarital inventory with a follow-up session that measures your communication strengths and areas where you may need to grow. It should be completed after your first appointment with a deacon. It is not a test to determine if you should or should not be married; rather it is a vehicle to help enhance your relationship as a couple and foster better communication between each other. After you have registered, you will receive an email with a link to begin taking the inventory. After finishing the FOCCUS inventory online, you will be contacted by a Holy Archangels Parish FOCCUS facilitator to arrange a time to get together for discussion.
MARRIAGE PREPARATION DAY
The Holy Archangels Pairsh Marriage Preparation Day is offered several times a year. This one-day program uses short presentations given by St. Hubert married couples, followed by time for personal reflection, private couple discussion, and some group activities. Topics include communication, money, conflict resolution, building intimacy, children, and spirituality. For the best benefit, complete your marriage preparation program several months before your wedding date.
Register for your Marriage Preparation Day
TYPES OF MARRIAGE CELEBRATIONS
Couples can choose to have their celebration of marriage during a Mass or outside of Mass (ceremony). Both types of celebrations are valid Catholic ceremonies. A celebration outside of Mass omits the elements of the rite relating to the Eucharist and Holy Communion is not offered. If there are going to be many non-Catholics present at the wedding, a ceremony offers the couple the opportunity to join their two families together at the wedding liturgy without excluding those who cannot be invited to receive communion. Generally, a deacon will preside at a ceremony, while a priest will preside at Mass. A non-Catholic minister is always welcome to take part in the ceremony; discuss this with the deacon you are working with as soon as possible.
FOLLOW-UP MEETING WITH DEACON
After you have completed your marriage preparation, a couple of months before your ceremony, you will meet with a deacon to complete required paperwork and discuss plans for your ceremony. You will need the following documents for this meeting:- A new Baptismal Certificate (for Catholics) issued within the last six months. This can be obtained from the church of baptism. For other Christian faiths, a baptismal certificate is also required, but need not be new.
- Copy of Confirmation Certificate, if not indicated on Baptismal Certificate
- Witness affidavits: Two witnesses (usually parents), for both the bride and groom are needed to establish freedom to marry. The deacon will discuss with you how these can be obtained.
MARRIAGE LICENSE
A valid Cook County marriage license must be obtained prior to the wedding date.WEDDING REHEARSAL
The wedding rehearsal is usual held the evening before the wedding. The deacon will schedule the rehearsal at the first interview.
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PLANNING YOUR WEDDING LITURGY
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At your first meeting with a deacon you will be given a copy of the book Together for Life. This book contains all the options you can have for readings, prayers, vows, etc. Plan to spend some time as a couple going through the book together to make your choices. There is a form inside the back cover of the book that you can use as you are making your choices. Complete this form before your second interview with a deacon.
ALTAR SERVERS
Altar servers will be provided for wedding Mass. If you have friends or relatives who are servers, let your deacon know.
LECTORS
Lectors proclaim the Word of God at the liturgy. A lector should read well and be comfortable speaking in front of a group. You can ask one or two friends/family to be a lector at your wedding. The lector should attend the rehearsal so they are comfortable the day of the ceremony.
CHURCH ENVIRONMENT
Flowers and floral arrangements may add to the celebratory atmosphere of the wedding experience. The church is always decorated with plants and flowers appropriate to the liturgical season.
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MUSIC FOR THE WEDDING
Music is an important part of the wedding ceremony. The music used in the wedding liturgy will be discussed with the Music Director prior to the ceremony; you should contact the music director as soon as possible after your initial meeting to discuss your musician arrangements and musical choices.MEETING WITH YOUR PRESIDER
If the presider at your wedding is not the deacon you are meeting with, you will need to plan a meeting with the presider to get acquainted before the ceremony. This should be scheduled after all your wedding paperwork and planning is complete a few weeks before the wedding.FEES
When you meet with a deacon for the first time, they will discuss the associated fees.PHOTOGRAPHY/VIDEOGRAPHY
The photographer and videographer must follow the parish policies for photos/video. Your wedding liturgy is a sacred ceremony and the movements of the photographer should not distract from the prayerful atmosphere of the liturgy.
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