Wedding Required Documents

Documents Required for Your Catholic Church Wedding

We are happy you are getting married at one of our cluster parishes in Southeast Seattle. Marriage in the Catholic Church is a permanent and lifelong commitment. Therefore those who have attempted marriage in a previous bond will face significant challenges. Be sure to talk these through carefully with a priest.

The following is a checklist of paperwork your priest needs to have well in advance of the scheduled date:

Baptism Certificate:

Contact the church where you were baptized. Tell the church that you are getting married, and need an updated certificate. They will need to know the year of your baptism. The pastor there will send out a certificate. The date the church issues your baptism certificate should be within the last six months.

In the Archdiocese of Seattle, these bear the numbers “29.1” and “29.2”. The first statement – 29.1 – is one where the priest or his designate interviews each of you separately and asks you questions about your freedom to marry. The second statement – 29.2 – is a statement that a person close to you testifies to your freedom to marry. The completed 29.2 form is returned to Fr. Felino.

This comes from a county courthouse. Usually, the couple obtains this license about a month before the wedding. Remember there are dead periods and expiration dates on the licenses. Check carefully with the county clerk. The priest will need this document before the wedding so he can fill it out. You and your witnesses (usually the best man and maid of honor) will need to sign this form immediately following the ceremony.

Our church requires marriage preparation before we celebrate the sacrament. The Catholic Life Ministries (CLM) under Robert Fontana will facilitate this program. You are expected to attend several sessions. The cost of the program is $175.00 per couple payable to CLM. For specific dates, please contact Robert Fontana at 509-731-6012. The second preparation is the FOCCUS inventory, which the couple will complete during the first session with the priest – allow at least one and a half hours for this. A payment of $35 by check payable to FOCCUS Inc. at the first interview will be due to process the FOCCUS test.

In the cluster parishes of St George, St Edward, St Paul and St Peter the donation for use of the church is $655.00 for registered parishioners and $855.00 for non-parishioners. This fee is for the use of the church the evening of the rehearsal and the day of the wedding, the services of the parish priest, the fees for the parish musician, Wedding Coordinator, and altar servers. The church is reserved for you when your donation is collected. 

A fee of $160.00 will be requested for couples needing to complete the required Archdiocese of Seattle marriage forms for a wedding they want performed in a church outside the four-parish cluster.

I have read and understood the guidelines and agree to comply with the above guidelines.

Groom’s Name (Print): ______________________________

Signature_________________________________________

Address & Zip_____________________________________________________

Telephone _______________________________

Bride’s Name (Print):________________________________

Signature:_________________________________________

Address & Zip_____________________________________________________

Telephone _______________________________

Date: __________________