Both parties to an intended marriage must be free to marry before a wedding date can be set.
In the Catholic Church, a previously married person is not free to marry unless his or her former spouse has died or the prior marriage has been declared “null” (i.e., not a sacrament) by the Catholic Church.
This applies to prior marriages between two Catholics, a Catholic and a non-Catholic and also between two non-Catholics.
To petition for an annulment of a previous marriage which has ended in divorce, contact a priest or the diocesan Tribunal Office at 724-837-0901.
A person bound by sacred vows to priesthood or religious life is not free to marry unless formally released from such vows through proper church processes.
- Catholics who, without church dispensation, have been married at a wedding not officiated by a Catholic priest, may have their marriage validated as a sacrament (even if a non-Catholic party in such a marriage does not wish to cooperate). Contact the pastor.
- Couples requesting sacramental marriage in the Diocese of Greensburg are expected to begin marriage preparation one year in advance of the wedding date. Extraordinary circumstances will be taken into consideration for exceptions.
- Call the parish office (724-423-4431) to set a wedding date and to begin the marriage preparation process. You must talk directly with the pastor to set your date and begin preparation, even if another priest will be handling the wedding.
- Wedding dates for couples who are non-parishioners will be tentative until one year before the wedding, and will be guaranteed thereafter. Until then, parishioner couples who request the same date will be given precedence.
- Saturday weddings normally will be at 2:00 pm. All wedding personnel, paraphernalia and photographers should be out of the church not later than 3:30 pm. Only one wedding will be scheduled on Saturday. Weddings and validations of marriages can be scheduled for any day except Sunday.
- Priests, other than the pastor, may officiate at a wedding here or co-preside with the pastor if they are qualified. Non-Catholic ministers of a non-Catholic party may also have a part in the ceremony.
- A Catholic seeking the bishop's approval to marry a non-Catholic Christian in a non-Catholic Christian church by a non-Catholic Christian minister must apply for a dispensation from the required form. The marriage preparation process and requirements are otherwise the same as those for couples intending to marry in a Catholic Church with a priest officiating.
