Marriage Preparation

As a parish of the Diocese of St. Petersburg and faithful to the Roman Catholic Church, preparation for marriage at Corpus Christi Catholic Church involves three areas of preparation: 

Assessment - begins with an initial interview with the priest or deacon who will prepare the couple for marriage. The purpose of this interview is to determine the couple's freedom to marry each other according to the canonical law the Roman Catholic Church as well as local civil law as well as identifying any additional steps for the marriage to take place such as an anulment for those previously married or proper delegation for a Catholic to marry a non-Catholic.  Couples often have unique circumstances so it is vital for the priest or deacon to meet the couple, ask about their backgrounds, why they wish to be married, as well as an anticipated date for the wedding. 

Enrichment - is the process of marriage preparation that involves a pre-marital inventory (PMI or FOCCUS is most common) with a review of the results and then some sort of retreat experience such as Pre-Cana or Journey to Matrimony that is offered in our Diocese of St. Petersburg.

Planning the Wedding Liturgy - once a date is agreed upon between the priest or deacon and the married couple, the next step is to prepare for the Wedding Liturgy. Most Catholic parishes use a resource called Together for Life which is an excellent guide to the readings, prayers and format for the Wedding Liturgy, whether the ceremony takes place within a Mass or not.

More information is available through the document Joined in Christ that the Diocese of St. Petersburg has prepared for couples planning to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony.