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Marriage
“Today, there are those who say that marriage is out of fashion... They say that it is not worth making a life-long commitment, making a definitive decision, ‘for ever’, because we do not know what tomorrow will bring. I ask you, instead, to be revolutionaries, I ask you to swim against the tide; yes, I am asking you to rebel against this culture that sees everything as temporary and that ultimately believes you are incapable of responsibility, that believes you are incapable of true love.” — Pope Francis
Preparation
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The Sacrament of Marriage can be celebrated at St. Max when one or both of the couple are parishioners, or children of parishioners, or have some other tangible connection to the parish community.
Wedding liturgies are normally celebrated Friday evening, Saturday at 1:00 PM or 1:30 PM, or Saturday at 6:30 PM.
Engaged couples wishing to get married at St. Max first need to meet with our Pastor.
Fr. Jim Riehle
(513) 777-4322 Ext. 102
jriehle@saint-max.org -
This is the next step in your marriage preparation process after speaking with Fr. Jim to schedule your wedding day. In this introductory session, you will meet with the Coordinator of Marriage Preparation. She will explain all that you need to know to begin the preparation process and to prepare for your wedding at St. Max. She will also answer any questions you may have regarding preparation and/or your liturgy.
Ministry Contact:
Tammy Silvestri
tsilvestri@saint-max.org. -
The Church helps you to invest in your marriage through a time of preparation and formation. Engaged couples enter into this period with a mentor couple from the parish who will share their personal experiences and enter into conversations with you regarding important topics such as why marriage matters, why God created marriage, sexuality and how to have a sacramental marriage.
After you have attended a consultation session with the Coordinator of Marriage Preparation, you will be assigned a mentor couple. A mentor couple has been specially trained and is ready to walk with you on your marriage preparation journey. Having been through the ups (and downs!) of marriage, they are uniquely qualified to answer your questions and help you lay a strong foundation for your marriage. You will meet with your mentor couple 7-8 times, usually in their home. It is your opportunity to discuss the results of your FOCCUS survey and important topics such as “Why Marriage Matters,” “The Story of Marriage,” and “The Total Gift of Self.”
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In addition to the mentor program sessions, each couple must also attend one of three Archdiocesan-approved events. Sessions fill up quickly - so schedule your retreat as soon as possible!
If all of these happen to be full, contact Tammy Silvestri for other options in the area.
2. Attend a Natural Family Planning class. Learn More and Register
Additional NFP classes through Couple to Couple League found here.
3. Submit your baptismal certificate, which was requested no earlier than 6 months prior to your wedding, to the parish office.
Planning Your Wedding Liturgy
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Click to learn more about our St. Max Wedding Guidelines
Click to learn more about Preparation Only Guidelines - not celebrating at St. Max
Ministry Contact:
Mary Ella Wielgos
(513) 777-4322 Ext 109
Mwielgo@saint-max.org -
Using the repertoire list here, listen to the possible audio sample of musical selections in the playlist, make our choices, and note them in the Liturgy Preparation Sheet.
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Things You Won’t See at a Catholic Wedding
A great article on some secular customs that are not a part of the Catholic Rite of Marriage and why.Unity Candle and the Catholic Rite of Marriage
A helpful article on why the “unity candle” is not a part of the Catholic Rite of Marriage.