Welcome!
Marriage Preparation and Planning Your Wedding at Saint Clement Parish
For further information on pre-marriage preparation (PreCana), and planning your wedding at Saint Clement Parish, please read the information below. We hope that your experience of marriage preparation is one that enriches you as a couple and provides you with a solid foundation as you begin your Sacramental marriage together.
ALL INFORMATION ON THIS WEBPAGE IS TENTATIVE IN LIGHT OF THE EVER-CHANGING NATURE OF POLICIES SURROUNDING COVID-19
How to Prepare
To Begin the Process of Getting Married at Saint Clement
- The bride or groom must be a registered member of Saint Clement.
- Download the marriage principles and procedures- Your Wedding at Saint Clement Church from the resources on this webpage. Then thoroughly read and agree to the information contained in the document.
- Complete the online wedding inquiry form.
Wedding Times
Weddings are held on Saturdays. Wedding times are 11:00am, 1:00pm, 3:00pm and 6:30pm; however, when three weddings are already scheduled on a particular day, a visiting priest must preside at the fourth wedding. When allowed, Friday weddings are celebrated at 2:30pm. However- there are many restrictions on Friday weddings. Discuss any Friday weddings with Gael Day. We cannot accommodate requests for weddings at other days and times.
Marriage Information Meeting
All couples are required to attend a marriage information meeting. At this meeting we will review the preparation process, requirements and specific guidelines. Most of the information discussed at this meeting is also contained in the marriage principles and procedures: Your Wedding At Saint Clement Church.
The Marriage Preparation Process
- Complete the online wedding inquiry form.
- Schedule your date with the parish wedding coordinator. Gael Day.
- Attend a marriage information meeting
- Take the online FOCCUS inventory
- Participate in a pre-cana program
- Complete all required paperwork and return to Saint Clement by the published deadlines
- Obtain Baptismal certificate(s)
- Complete and submit witness affidavits
- Meet with priest or pastoral minister
- Plan music online via the online webforms
- Obtain a civil marriage license
- Pay the wedding fee and fees for any additional musicians or programs.
- Wedding rehearsal with parish wedding attendant
- Wedding ceremony organized by parish wedding attendant
Out of Town Wedding Preparation
Saint Clement is available to assit you with your preparation. The fee is $300. Contact Lori Howard for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Saint Clement requires that at least one member of the couple be a registered and active parishioner. We we are not able celebrate wedding liturgies for couples who are not registered members of Saint Clement.
Download the marriage principles and procedures: Your Wedding At Saint Clement Church. Read it thoroughly and agree to the information contained within.
At least six months in advance.
The wedding fee is $1,900.00.
This fee is mostly all-inclusive. It includes:
- Paperwork preparation
- Preparation meetings
- Organist and cantor (singer)
- Music planning, music website, musician scheduling
- Priest stipend
- Saint Clement Pre-Cana (other pre-cana courses not offered by Saint Clement are not included and refunds are not given for other pre-cana courses)
- Wedding planner to answer your questions throughout preparation.
- Wedding attendant who will organize and run your rehearsal and wedding ceremony.
- Parish donation
1. Witness Affadivits testifying to your freedom to marry are required from both the bride and groom. There are two witnesses for the bride, and two for the groom. The form can be obtained from the parish office or from the downloadable online resources located on this page. The form must then be filled out in the presence of a priest, deacon or another church representative. This can be done at any Catholic church.
2. A new Baptismal Certificate dated within six months of the day you wish to be married must be submitted by each Catholic party. In the marriage of a Catholic and a non-Catholic Christian, the non-Catholic also presents a Baptismal record. Writing or phoning the church in which the baptism took place easily obtains these certificates. Copies of original certificates are unacceptable.
1. A statement of intention by both bride and groom, called a pre-nuptial questionnaire, is required and will be completed with your priest, deacon or marriage minister at your first meeting.
All couples are required to take the FOCCUS inventory. (Facilitating Open Caring Communication Understanding Study) This will help facilitate a discussion tailored to their individual situations. The results of the check-up will be discussed with your priest or deacon. Begin the process by contacting Gael Day.
A special type of Church permission called a "dispensation" is required. Contact Gael Day for additional information.
There are a number of issues that must be addressed surrounding the matter of previous marriage. The couple will need to meet with one of the parish priests or premarital ministers to discuss their situation.
Pre-marriage preparation, often called Pre-Cana, includes a program that offers you the time and setting to consider together your life as a married couple. All couples must participate in a pre-cana program since it is required by the Archdiocese. A number of programs are available to you including the Archdiocesan Pre-Cana and Saint Clement Pre-Cana. Arrangements for any of the programs are the responsibility of the couple. Plan early since reservations are required for all programs.
Saint Clement offers its own Pre-Cana program and is available to a limited number of couples. Please contact Fr. Matt Litak for details.
Saint Clement also offers an Alpha Marriage Preparation Course, a 5-week (one session/week) program offered via ZOOM. Space is limited in each session. Click here for further details and to register.
Priests from other Catholic parishes or ministers from other denominations are welcome to participate in the wedding ceremony. The presider for your wedding must be a Catholic priest or deacon and the liturgy must take place according to the Rite of Marriage within the Catholic Church. Visiting presiders are expected to be present at the wedding rehearsal. Please inform us at least two months in advance if other ministers or priests will take part in your liturgy and discuss the possibility with your priest or deacon.
Click "Plan my wedding music" on the sidebar.
Saint Clement strictly does not allow musicians who are not affiliated with the parish lead the music. There are other limited opportunities for friends and family to be a part of the music at your ceremony. Contact the music staff with questions. To prevent any hardship, be sure to contact the music staff before making any plans.
You are welcome to design your own program. Outlines can be found in the resources on this page. Or, Saint Clement offers a service to design and print a wedding program for your liturgy. Click "prepare my wedding program" on the sidebar for more information. Keep in mind that Saint Clement does not have any hymnals, missalettes, or worship books in the pews. We design orders of service (programs) for all of our liturgies.
The readings at a Catholic wedding liturgy are a proclamation of God’s Word and of the Church’s faith about marriage. For this reason, they are limited to readings from the scriptures (the Bible). Click here to learn more.
No. Any cars left in the parking will be towed. Other weddings may follow your wedding, or the parish may be preparing for another event. Parking is at a premium and we will not allow any exceptions.
All information regarding florists, photographers and videographers can be on the final pages of Your Wedding At Saint Clement Church. You can also download the information from the resources on this page. To prevent hardship or difficulty, it is very important that you share this information to your florist, photographer and videographer well in advance of your wedding.
We cannot work with anyone other than the bride and groom since the expectation is that you take an active role in planning your wedding. Other people becoming involved causes difficulty for our staff and will only lead to confusion throughout the process.
Outside wedding coordinators are strictly not permitted to plan a wedding. Our wedding attendant will lead both the rehearsal and ceremony. Outside wedding coordinators are not permitted to lead these occasions or interfere.
After you're married, information on obtaining a marriage certificate from Cook County and legally changing any names can be found in the resouces on this page.