The Sacrament of Matrimony

The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 1601

Greetings and welcome to St. Anthony’s Catholic Church. We want to assist you in your preparation for the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. Your wedding is meant to be a joyful and meaningful celebration, one that you will long remember. We offer the St. Anthony’s Catholic Church Guidelines for Marriage Liturgies to help and support you, not only in getting ready for the celebration of your vows but also for a life-long commitment to God, the Church, and to each other. Please contact us at least nine months prior to your preferred wedding date.  
 
Your initial contact at St. Anthony’s Catholic parish to start your marriage preparation is: The wedding coordinator at (512) 268-5311, email: [email protected]

Quick Summary of Marriage Guidelines

Catholic parties must obtain a recent copy of their baptismal certificate issued within the last six (6) months. They are to ask the church of baptism to include all notations on the certificate. Being confirmed is not a requirement but is encouraged. Father will help find adult confirmation classes.
If one or both of you have been married before and, the spouse of the previous marriage is still living, you must have an annulment by the Catholic Church of any prior marriage (civil, Catholic, Protestant) to be married in the Catholic Church. If you have been married before, without exception, we will need to determine what sort of an annulment is needed. Please discuss your previous marriage as soon as possible with the priests. In many cases this slows down the marriage preparation process since we cannot schedule a wedding until any needed annulments have been received. Only after this can a marriage and date be reserved. Once you have obtained the required documents (i.e., Catholic parties obtained a recent copy of their Baptism certificate, with notations, and any prior marriage documents if needed), you are to bring the documents to the wedding coordinator, at the church office. At this time we will start a file for your paper work.
A priest assigned to start the marriage preparation will call you to set up the initial meeting and go over St. Anthony’s Marriage Guidelines and Requirements. At your meeting with the priest, and if all your paperwork is complete, you will be advised to contact the wedding coordinator, to schedule a date for your marriage and reserve the church.