Marriage Preparation

Needed Documents

Start gathering your paperwork! There are documents needed for the marriage preparation process with the Priest/Deacon assigned to help you prepare. There are other documents, but these are the ones we need you to collect.

Baptismal certificates

The Catholic fiance – We ask you to provide a newly issued copy of each of Catholic baptismal certificates with annotations. “Annotations” refer to the sacramental recording of subsequent First Eucharist, Confirmation and other sacraments on the back of the newly issued certificate. Your baptismal church will have the records. You need only call the church, tell them you need it for an upcoming wedding, give them the date (or at least an idea of the date of the baptism) – and tell them where you would like the certificate sent (to you is the best place).  The date on the certificate must be less than 6 months from issue when you give it to the priest. This means a photocopy of your original Baptismal certificate is not adequate.

For a Christian fiance from other traditions, we also ask that you provide some documentation that affirms you are baptized in that tradition. A photocopy of the original is sufficient. If that is not available, some of the denominations will issue certificates or letters affirming that your baptism is in their records. 

But I was baptized overseas. Lots of our couples were baptized in military chapels overseas or in Catholic Churches in other countries. We are here to help you get the newly issued baptismal certificate. No worries – it always works out.

What if there is no certificate? We can workout a solution! Discuss this with the priest or deacon helping you to prepare

Catholic Confirmation certificates – photocopies are sufficient.

Freedom to Marry Affidavits – each financee is required to submit two affidavits about their freedom to marry. Parents are fine – anyone who has known you since your teenage years is also fine. The witnesses signatures must be notorized.  The forms can be downloaded here.

Marriage Preparation Process

An initial meeting. The primary purpose is to get to know a little bit about the couple.  All very relaxed and conversational. This is also a time to ask questions, receive additional directions, and to understand the flow and timing of the preparation process. As part of this meeting, the remainder of the process will be outlined and you’ll get a sense of the timeline.

The FOCCUS Pre-Marital Inventory. The Diocese of Arlington asks that all couples take a pre-marital “survey” that probes your level of agreement, disagreement, or indecision about statements related to issues such as Communication, Problem-Solving, Religion, Dual Careers, Cohabitation, Parenting, Sexuality, Finances and more. At the initial meeting you’ll receive instructions on how to complete the FOCCUS online.

Review of the FOCCUS Results. There are one or more meetings to review the FOCCUS with you.  These meetings are a facilitated discussion between you and your fiancé based on the results of the survey. The priest or deacon preparing you will guide you through the discussion.

Engaged Couples Conference. We also ask that each couple attend a Conference for the Engaged sponsored by the Diocese of Arlington. Their webpage provides all the information about scheduled conferences and on-line registration. At the completion of the conference you are provided a certificate, a copy of which is needed for the parish wedding file. (Often referred to as a Pre-Cana conference).

One-on-One Conversation. Once the FOCCUS has been reviewed and the diocesan conference attended, there is a private conversation between the priest/deacon and each of you individually – these are relatively brief conversations intended to ensure that the freedom to marry is present.

Liturgical Ceremony Planning. There is a meeting(s) to plan the liturgical aspects of your wedding ceremony. In the best of plans, this occurs about 2 months prior to the wedding date and is followed by meeting with the parish Director of Music to next plan the musical accompaniment for the planned liturgy.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation. We invite you to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a means of preparing yourself spiritually prior to your marriage.