“Where love is, God is.”
~ 1 John 4:15
If you have clicked on this item on our menu, it probably means you are considering marriage or have become engaged. Congratulations!
We are delighted you are considering Blessed Sacrament Church for your wedding, and we look forward to helping you prepare for this very special day.
In the Catholic tradition, marriage is a sacrament. The bride and groom contract their marriage in the presence of God and of the community of faith, and become a holy sign of Christ’s love for the Church and of God’s faithful love for the world.
For a marriage to be sacramental, two baptized persons, at least one being Catholic:
- freely enter into a vowed commitment of respect, reverence and love
- make this promise for a lifetime
- promise fidelity to each other
- desire that their love be blessed with children and make the commitment to pass on the gift of faith to their children.
Thus the sacrament of marriage becomes a way of life and not just the ceremony on your wedding day. God in Christ is the center of your relationship “in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health” (see the wedding vows).
Frequently Asked Questions
How do we schedule a wedding at Blessed Sacrament?
Weddings are scheduled on Saturdays at noon and at 3:00 PM (except during Lent). The engaged couple needs to discuss available dates directly with Father Kennedy ( fkennedy@dor.org or 271-7240). PLEASE do not finalize plans for a reception site until you are sure you have a date set at the church. Because of the number of weddings celebrated here at Blessed Sacrament, we cannot guarantee that the day you are hoping for will be available.
What do we need to do to prepare for our marriage?
Several things are helpful and/or required to be married at Blessed Sacrament:
1) pray with each other and for each other, and attend Sunday Mass regularly
2) an initial meeting with Father Kennedy to provide you with basic information, to determine your freedom to marry in the Church, and to finalize your wedding date
3) the Diocese of Rochester requires every couple to be married to participate in some formal program of marriage preparation, sometimes called “Pre-Cana.”
These programs are designed to help a couple deepen their understanding of the essential human and Christian aspects of the marriage covenant. Blessed Sacrament will offer Pre-Cana on Saturday, March 26, 2011, 9:00 AM-4:00 PM. To register, please contact the parish office; cost is $50.00 per couple. A schedule of other marriage preparation programs around the Rochester area from the parish office or through the website of the Diocese of Rochester.
4) every couple is required to take the FOCCUS Inventory, a tool that facilitates couple communication and mutual understanding on a variety of topics related to marriage. It requires an initial 45- to 60-minute session to take the Inventory, and then one or more follow-up meetings with a facilitator once a couple profile is generated from it. Arrangements for this Inventory will be made with Father Kennedy at the initial meeting with him.
5) certain paperwork is required by the Diocese as well, and will be completed in due time during the preparation process.
Given these needed steps, the parish has set a period of at least six months between setting a wedding date and the wedding ceremony itself.
What about planning our wedding ceremony?
Couples may plan to be married at either a Nuptial Mass or a Nuptial Ceremony. Either celebration will be well-planned by the couple, in consultation with the priest or deacon who presides and with the organist.
The wedding ceremony reflects the personal faith of the couple and the spirituality of their relationship. If the Eucharist is a significant part of your life, it follows that the Nuptial Mass would be the appropriate context for your wedding ceremony. If the Mass is not part of the way you pray or if there are circumstances in the religious life of your families that would make the Mass inappropriate, a Nuptial Ceremony may be the way to go. Please talk this over with the priest or deacon who is presiding at your wedding.
If you wish to have another priest or deacon officiate at your ceremony, you are welcome to do so. The marriage preparation process, however, is still arranged through Father Kennedy.
If one of you is of another Christian tradition or another faith, and you would like to have a minister or rabbi of your acquaintance be part of the ceremony, he/she would be most welcome. Please mention this in the early stages of planning, so appropriate arrangements can be made.
The parish will provide you with a wedding ceremony planning book, entitled Celebrating Marriage. This will assist you in making choices of readings and prayers that reflect the meaning of your wedding day and its commitment. Within the liturgy, there are several ways for your family members and/or friends to participate: proclaiming the scripture readings, leading the prayers of the faithful or general intercessions, bringing the gifts of bread and wine to the altar, and serving as ministers of communion.
What about music?
Beata E. Golec is the director of the liturgical music and she will assist you in selecting appropriate music for your wedding ceremony. She will also recommend well-trained and experienced cantors who will assist the congregation in participating in the music you select. If you decide to pick a vocalist from outside of Blessed Sacrament Church, please make sure they are experienced performers and are very familiar with Roman Catholic liturgy.
To learn more please read the attached “Wedding Music Selections 2010” from our music director, located on the upper right of this page.
To learn more please read the attached “Wedding Music Selections 2010” from our music director, located on the upper right of this page.
What are the fees?
>The suggested offering for the use of the church is $150.00. We also ask that you pay for three services provided by the church: the organist’s fee, a wedding coordinator to assist you at your rehearsal and the wedding day itself, the FOCCUS Inventory processing fee, and the planning book Celebrating Marriage.
Therefore, a check in the amount of $500.00 should be made payable to: Blessed Sacrament Church.
Please note that the priest or deacon who presides at your ceremony receives none of this fee, so a gift to him may be appropriate.
Fees for a marriage preparation program/Pre-Cana and for other musicians are arranged separately. Also, in appreciation to the wedding coordinator, organist, and/or cantor for exceptional service, gratuities may be given at your discretion.
Anything else we should know?
You should know that we do not make any arrangements through a third party (for example, parents, an outside wedding planner, and so on). All planning involving a wedding at Blessed Sacrament Church is arranged between the couple and Father Kennedy directly.
You’ll also want to know about flowers, photographers and videographers, programs, rehearsal times, and what is permitted (or not) at Blessed Sacrament. Father Kennedy will provide full information and guidelines at his initial meeting with you, and is always ready to answer your questions.
Prayer Before Marriage
Lord God,
Source of all love,
your providence has brought us together.
As we prepare for the sacrament of marriage
we pray for your grace,
that, strengthened by your blessing,
we may grow in respect for one another
and cherish each other with a sincere love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.May the God of love and peace
abide in us, guide our steps,
and confirm our hearts in his love,
now and for ever.
Amen.