Marriage

Marriage in Times of a Pandemic

• The Sacrament of Matrimony may be celebrated at St. Joseph.
• The couple must have obtained a Marriage License. Most MN counties have suspended service centers that dispense Marriage Licenses, but some offices are providing licenses by appointment.
• CDC guidelines are to be followed and the celebration can be rescheduled to comply with those guidelines. St. Joseph's maximum capacity is 200. The number of attendees includes the pastor and accompanied church minister as minimum.
• There will be no food service or social gathering held at the church after the ceremony. 
• If rescheduling a marraige celebration, it is important to verify that the Marriage License has not expired (or that the State has made some provision for that eventuality).  Marriage licenses are typically valid for six months from the date of issue.

Marriage in Typical Times
St. Joseph shares the joy of those entering a life long commitment of love. Because God is the author of marriage it is of its very nature a holy institution. Couples requesting to be married at Saint Joseph must contact the Parish Office at least 6 months before the wedding date. Marriage preparation includes a visit with the Pastor, review of the PREPARE Program (that engages couples to discover their strengths and growth areas), marriage mentoring, and a retreat over six sessions. Contact the Parish Office for a copy of the Marriage Guidelines. Weddings may take place at the Parish Center or the Historic Little Church.

Marriage Mentoring
Marriage Mentoring is a couple-to-couple relationship that seeks to help couples live out their vision for marriage. Marriage Mentors are couples who are motivated and excited to help guide premarital and newlywed couples through the challenges of beginning a new life together. Marriage Mentors are not only seeking to help couples through difficult times, but are also interested in hearing couples' success stories, humorous experiences, and other positive aspects of their relationship. Marriage Mentors are a resource of support, encouragement, and accountability for premarital and newlywed couples.

The primary goal of Marriage Mentoring is to help equip couples for a happy, healthy marriage by teaching them vital skills in communication and conflict resolution, and by sharing their own life experiences.

Marriage Mentoring has other important goals:

• Strengthen premarital couples' relationships and prepare them for marriage.
• Improve the quality of marriage for newlywed and married couples.
• Enrich the marriages of the Marriage Mentors.
• Match premarital couples with more experienced married couples who have similar interests and backgrounds.
• Establish a caring community of couples.

 
Contact Us to begin the process!