Getting Married?

YOUR WEDDING IN CLONDALKIN VILLAGE CHURCH There are a number of points to remember to ensure that your preparations run smoothly.

1. Fix the Date at the Church. As soon as you can you must set the date and time in the Sacristy Diary at the Church. The couple must do this together in person and not by telephone. And please do this before you book a Reception.  The Parish Pastoral Council has asked that, in addition to the suggested offerings for the priest and sacristan, couples should contribute a church offering of €150 which should be paid in full at the point of booking their wedding date in the Church Diary.  Also, couples who do not live in Clondalkin Village parish but who would wish to use the Village Church for their wedding, should note the special regulations (in no. 7 below)

2. See the Registrar. All couples must go and actually meet the Civil Registrar at least three months before the wedding to give notice of their intention to marry. This is a very strict civil law. For further information about how to make an appointment with the local Registrar, see the General Registrar’s Website at www.groireland.ie. The local Registrar will give you the Marriage Registration Form (MRF), which should be shown on your first visit to the priest who is performing the ceremony to ensure that the details are correct.

3. See your Priest/s You must go to see your priest/s at least 3 months before the wedding. Usually the Bride goes to see the priest of her home parish – who later performs the Wedding Ceremony – and the Groom sees the priest of his home parish. Expect to meet your priest a number of times before the wedding in order to make the necessary preparations for your Marriage, such as completing the Marriage Papers, (the “Pre Nuptial Enquiries”). When you are booking your wedding at the Parish Office or Sacristy you can find out the best time to make an appointment with the priest who is performing the ceremony. When you go to the priest the first time you should have your documents with you.

4. Your Documents Since your Church wedding is also a civil event, both Church and State require certain documents.

1. Firstly, as a couple, you will need to have the Registrar’s ‘MRF’. Then individually you will each need to get:
2. A new Baptismal Certificate from the Church where you were christened, dated within 6 months of the date of your wedding.
3. You may need a Confirmation Certificate from the Church in which you were confirmed if the fact of your Confirmation is not included on the Baptismal certificate. (It usually is).
4. If you have lived somewhere other than where you now live, you’ll need a Letter of Freedom from any parish you’ve lived in for more than 6 months since you were 18 years old.  Please check with your Parish Priest whether a statutory declaration/statement from parents that you are not married can replace a Letter of Freedom.

5. Preparing together We all know that it’s easier to get a marriage certificate than it is to get a driver’s licence! While some people may find it sensible to take lessons in driving skills before going on the road they can hesitate when it comes to hints about interpersonal relations that are involved in marriage. Don’t dismiss the techniques of keeping love alive as ‘common sense’. There are different kinds of Marriage Preparation Courses, given by experienced folk, geared to different kinds of couples. The Parish recommends courses run by Accord Bookings are made through the central office (01) 478 0866 or marriagepreparation@accord.ie. But ring soon as they fill up early. Accord Clondalkin is at ‘St Kevin’s’ on Monastery Road, tel. 459 3467 or clondalkin@dublin.accord.ie

Diocesan Statement on ‘Avalon’ DVD
Many parishes have been contacted recently with information regarding a pre-marriage DVD course being marketed by Avalon RC Limited.  The information and the Avalon website suggest that this course meets the “Bishops’ Guidelines”. This DVD course and online questionnaire cannot meet the Irish Episcopal Conference Criteria for Courses of Preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage and is not an acceptable course of marriage preparation in the Archdiocese of Dublin.

6. Preparing for the Ceremony You should consult with your priest if you intend to have a special booklet printed for your Wedding Ceremony and you may like to make an appointment for the ‘Rehearsal’ – usually within a week of the Big Day.

Please note: you should have your music and flowers arrangements made before the Rehearsal. Your flower arrangers should contact the Sacristan (tel. 459 3520) at least a week in advance of the ceremony to enable them to gain access to the church at an appointed time. NOTE ALSO: If your priest is a visitor to Clondalkin the sacristan must be contacted concerning a rehearsal time in the Church.

7. A Note for Couples who do not live in Clondalkin Village Parish Couples who do not live in Clondalkin Village are welcome to celebrate their marriage in our beautiful village church – subject to some conditions. Firstly, they will have to have their own priest to celebrate the wedding. And secondly, following the recent extensive and costly renovations of the Village Church, the Parish Pastoral Council has asked that couples from outside the village parish should contribute a church offering of €250 which should be paid in full at the point of booking their wedding date in the Church Diary.