THE SACRAMENT OF MATRIMONY

By appointment
Contact: Fr. Boniface 0208 6922 011

Parish Marriage Requirements:
For enquiries book an appointment with the Parish Priest
  • Give at least 6 months notice to make arrangements
  • Be certain that at least one of the couple is a parishioner and lives in the parish.
  • When the couple is not from the Parish a letter of permission is needed from the couple's Parish Priest to get married at Our Lady of Assumption.
  • For a marriage of a parishioner in another parish, you will need a letter of permission from the Parish Priest.
  • The couple must present the following, Baptismal certificate, certificate from the Registry, Pre-marriage course certificate, letter of consent from parents.
  • The fee of £10.00 is required for Marriage Certificate

In order to get married in the Catholic Church, you must be:

  • A Baptised Christian
Both partners do not have to be a Catholic in order to be married in the Catholic Church, but both must be baptised Christians (and at least one must be a Catholic). Non-Christians cannot receive the sacraments. For a Catholic to marry a non-Catholic Christian, express permission is required from your bishop. Catholics can marry non-Christians in civil ceremonies, and they can even have a priest present at such ceremonies, but civil marriages are natural marriages only, and the Church discourages them. In fact, Catholics must receive a special dispensation before marrying a non-Christian, and only under rare circumstances can a non-sacramental marriage take place inside of a Catholic church.
  • Not Too Closely Related
Legal prohibitions on marriage between cousins (and other close blood relationships, such as uncle and niece) stem from the Church's ban on such marriages. Before 1983, marriages between second cousins were prohibited. Today, second-cousin marriages are allowed, and, under some circumstances, a dispensation can be obtained to allow a first-cousin marriage. The Church still discourages such marriages, however.
  • Free to Marry
If one of the partners, Catholic or non-Catholic Christian, has been married before, he or she is free to marry only if his or her spouse has died or he or she has obtained a declaration of nullity from the Church. The mere fact of a divorce is not sufficient to prove the nullity of a marriage. During marriage preparation, you must inform the priest if you have been married before, even in a civil ceremony.
  • Of the Opposite Sex as Your Partner
    Marriage, by definition, is a lifelong union between one man and one woman. The Catholic Church does not recognize, even as a civil marriage, a contracted relationship between two men or two women.
  • In Good Standing With the Church
It's an old joke that some Catholics only see the inside of a church when they are "carried [at Baptism], married, and buried." But marriage is a sacrament, and, for the sacrament to be properly received, the Catholic partner(s) in a marriage must be in good standing with the Church. This not only means normal Church attendance but also avoidance of scandal. So, for instance, a couple who are living together may not be allowed to get married in the Church until they have spent sufficient time living apart. (There are exceptions — for instance, if the priest is convinced that the couple is not engaged in immoral behaviour but is living together out of economic necessity). Likewise, a Catholic politician who supports policies condemned by the Church (such as the legalization of abortion) may be denied a sacramental marriage.