Marriage

A course gives you a chance to meet and listen to other couples in the same position as yourselves and hear first-hand experience from facilitators who are married.

On a marriage preparation course, you will look at ways of coping with the stresses of marriage and how to deepen your relationship.

Courses in Our Area

In Ireland pre-marriage courses are organized in every diocese by Accord, The Catholic Marriage Care Service. Information on courses in the area can be obtained on www.accord.ie.

There are also special courses, in Dublin, for Interchurch couples. These are organised by Embrace, the Interchurch Marriage Preparation Group.

All the church paperwork formalities are looked after in an official document called the Prenuptial Inquiry form, which a priest/deacon must fill out with a couple where they live full time. Please note this important point it is not your home parish that does the prenuptial Inquiry Form but where you have lived for more than the last six months.

In preparation for such a meeting you should have obtained.

• Your Certificates of Baptism and Confirmation
• Obtained relevant Letters of Freedom and or Statement of Freedom.

If one of the parties getting married is not of the Catholic faith it is necessary to obtain permission  for a mixed marriage from the Bishop of the Diocese.  This is a straight forward process which the Parish will organise following discussions with the couple.

Before getting married you must establish that you are free to marry.

You must obtain a Letter of Freedom, from the parish certifying that there is no entry of you having been married already unless you have been granted and annulment.

• If either you or your fiancé (e) has lived for substantial periods (more than six months) as an adult away from the home parish, you need Letters of Freedom from the parishes of the areas in which you have lived.
• This may not always be possible, especially If you lived abroad or done a great deal of traveling, making it impractical to get all the Letters of Freedom.   With the agreement of the priest, to satisfy the requirement you may be required to arrange an appointment with a Commissioner of Oaths. Makeing an oath that you have  not been married before,
• Or may be asked to obtain a declaration from two or three individuals – Parents or sibling or close friend to state to the freedom of you to marry – see form below.

If marrying outside Ireland the demands of the State vary from one jurisdiction to another. Please check with the country you are planning to marry in and check the Dept of Forgein Affairs website.

If you are planning a church wedding abroad, please allow at least  six months to get paperwork prepared.

• You are required to give the State, at least three months’ notice of your intention to marry (Family Law Act 1995).
• You must do this In Person with the Registrar of marriages at least three months. The local Registrar address is HSE, Registrar Of Births deaths and Marriages, Government Buildings, Convent Road, Roscommon Town.
• To arrange an appointment you must book this online and you will need the following information at the meeting.
• The intended date and location of the marriage.
• Details of the proposed Solemniser of the marriage.
• The names and dates of birth of the 2 proposed witnesses.
• A PPS number is required for all parties serving notice of intention to marry, who have or will have a current or a future address within the State.

The notification process may be conducted at HSE Registrar office in the state.

When you give notification of your intention to marry, and if there is no impediment (barrier) to your marriage, the Registrar will issue you with a Marriage Registration Form (MRF) which gives you permission to marry. You need an MRF in order to get married in Ireland  you must have it in order to get married in Church. The MRF is also needed to register your marriage, so it is an important document.

You should give the MRF to whomever will be solemnising your marriage before the marriage ceremony. Immediately after the marriage ceremony the MRF should be signed by you and your spouse, the two witnesses and the person solemnising the marriage.

It must then be returned by the couple within one month of the marriage (signed by the Solemniser (Priest), the Bride and Groom and two Witnesses) to a Registrar so that your marriage may be registered in the State.

• Easter Triduum (Holy Thursday through to Easter Sunday)
• Christmas day
• St Patrick’s Day
• In the Diocese of Elphin, no weddings are celebrated on a Sunday.