Wedding Preparation
Marriage plans should be made at least one year before the wedding; couples should make NO other plans until they meet with a priest or deacon. Call the Parish Office for a Marriage Policy Handbook and Pre-Cana Conference or Engaged Encounter information
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!
This is the happiest of times for you, your families and your friends, and for your parish community as well. Marriage is a holy sacrament, and as such is a very important part of Christian life! Our efforts will center on assisting you to make this special time reverent, beautiful, and open to the movement of God’s Holy Spirit. Your celebration will be a gathering of your Christian community, and as such will be filled with prayer, music, song, and times of quiet, in which the voice of God can be heard.
Some important, practical information:
To begin your marriage preparation, we ask that you call Fran Cherepon at the Parish Office (908-782-1475, ext. 10) at least a year before the planned time of your wedding. At that time, Fran will register you for the sacrament, help you to secure your date, and assist you in your choice of a celebrant, if needed. Our pastor, Fr. Tom Serafin or our deacon, Paul Santella are available to witness your vows and guide you in your preparation.
We will provide you with materials that will guide and assist you in the planning of your wedding liturgy and a copy of a booklet, compiled here at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton which will be a great source of information and assistance to you. Your celebrant not only will prepare you spiritually for the proper reception of this joyous sacrament, but he will also "walk you" through the Wedding Liturgy, explaining your options and providing suggestions.
Brett Walzer, Director of Sacred Music will be available to guide you in your choices of appropriate music for your liturgy.
You will be given a copy of the Pre-Cana Schedule for the parishes of the Diocese of Metuchen. This will inform you as to the Pre-Cana dates which are scheduled in all of the parishes of our diocese for the coming year, allowing you enough time to choose a convenient time and place to participate. Engaged Encounter information is also available in this schedule.
Finally, you will be given information on the Diocese of Metuchen`s "God`s Plan for a Joy-filled Marriage Session". The God`s Plan program provides a full catechesis of the Church`s teaching, in an uplifting manner that resonates within the human heart. The goal is for couples to comprehend the "whys" behind the "whats" of Catholic teaching. These sessions are held at the Diocesan Center in Piscataway, NJ. There is a registration fee of $125.00 per couple which includes lunch. Sessions run on various Saturdays from 8:30am - 3:00pm.
It is our privilege to serve you as you prepare for this joyous sacrament. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have throughout your time of wedding preparation.
ANNULMENTS AND DECLARATIONS OF NULLITY
There is much misinformation and confusion concerning Church teaching on divorce, annulment and remarriage. To be VALID, a marriage must be freely, truthfully entered into by two persons who know each other as best as possible and who intend to fulfill the ideals of marriage. If a Bride or Groom is CATHOLIC, the marriage MUST be performed in a CATHOLIC church, by a VALID CATHOLIC PRIEST or DEACON, according to rites of the CATHOLIC CHURCH or with EXPLICIT PERMISSION elsewhere/by another officiant. The marriage of two Catholics who marry in any other way may be INVALID. Such marriages are readily validated by a priest or deacon as long as there is no other invalidating factor, such as a previous valid marriage. Catholics in an invalid marriage may not receive Eucharist or serve as a sponsor or godparent - but they are NOT excommunicated!
To dissolve an invalid marriage, the Church simply declares it NULL since it did not take place properly from the start; the fee for a Declaration of Nullity is $100.00 and takes about two weeks to process.
When a valid marriage ends in civil divorce, divorced or separated Catholics MAY continue to receive Communion, serve as a sponsor, etc. Their status only changes if they enter another marriage before the previous marriage is officially declared NULL or is ANNULED.
An annulment does NOT say the marriage never took place, which denies reality. An annulment rules a marriage non-binding because it was not properly entered into: one or both parties were not free, truthful or lacked full awareness of self or the other; the ideals of marriages were not understood; etc. A marriage performed by a valid priest or deacon [not a so-called `rent-a-priest` - usually a former priest who hires himself out for a fee] or the marriage between two non-Catholics is presumed VALID and needs an ANNULMENT to be dissolved. The fee for an annulment in this diocese is $600; financial difficulty will not stop the process, which can take up to one year. Please speak to a priest or deacon for more information or clarification. Every Catholic in a broken marriage is strongly urged to seek guidance on this important issue.
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