Step 1: Complete a Marriage Prep Registration Form
Step 2: Upon receipt of the Marriage Prep Registration Form, Pastoral Care Coordinator Megan Healy will contact you regarding date reservations (rehearsal and ceremony). She will send you a link to pay the Marriage Prep Fee ($250) online, and upon receipt of the fee, she will then reserve the Church. (Note: Marriage Prep with the ceremony at another church is $175.)
Step 3: Complete requirements according to the schedule listed below:
Requirement | Description | Deadline |
FOCCUS Inventory | The FOCCUS Pre-Marriage Inventory is designed to help engaged couples appreciate their unique relationship, learn more about themselves and discuss topics important to their lifelong marriage. (Cost is included in the Marriage Prep fee.) | The Marriage Prep Coordinators will send a link to each of you to complete this Inventory online as soon as possible after registration. Results will be discussed with your Sponsor Couple. |
Meetings with Sponsor Couple | A mentor couple will be provided to you to help you prepare for the Sacrament. The Sponsor Couple meetings will take place in the couple’s home or at church. You will discuss the results of the FOCCUS Inventory and review other materials — and get a first-hand account of the joys and challenges of marriage. | Meetings are usually 1x/month, scheduled by you and your Sponsor Couple. Your Sponsor Couple will also help you plan your ceremony and will be there for your rehearsal and wedding day. |
PreNuptial Questionnaire | PreNuptial Questionnaire, an Archdiocesan form, is completed by a priest or deacon and will verify your freedom to marry. The priest or deacon will reach out to you to schedule an appointment. | To be completed six months prior to your wedding. |
Freedom to Marry | Freedom to Marry form is used in all marriages in which neither the pastor nor any other priest is able to vouch for the freedom of either party to the marriage. If required, details will be given when you complete PreNuptial Questionnaire. | If required, to be completed six months prior to your wedding. |
Baptismal Certificate | For each Catholic person, contact parish of baptism to request a certificate with sacramental notations be sent directly to COSP within six months of the wedding date. For non-Catholic baptized Christians, a duplicate copy of an original certificate (or a letter indicating place, date, and other information) is required. | To be submitted within six months of your wedding (not before). Catholic parish of baptism should send directly to: Church of Saint Paul Attn: Marriage Prep 1740 Bunker Lake Blvd NE Ham Lake, MN 55304 |
Marriage Retreat Certificate | Attend one local pre-marriage retreat such as the Archdiocese program Living God’s Love ($250) or Engaged Encounter ($330) or Chapter Two Retreat (second marriages) | Certificate to be submitted to Megan Healy upon completionof an Archdiocesan-approved engaged retreat. |
Natural Family Planning Certificate | Attend an NFP Course (3 classes) either in person or online ($160-$200). NFP is fertility awareness, a means of reading the body’s signs of fertility and infertility; applying this knowledge through the Sympto-Thermal Method (STM) is over 99% effective in postponing pregnancy. | Certificate to be submitted to Megan Healy upon completion of NFP class. |
Civil Marriage License | Obtained at any County Clerk’s Office in Minnesota and be used anywhere in Minnesota. Minnesota law states that a marriage license will expire 6 months from the date it is issued. | One week prior to wedding, upon completion of 12 hours of preparation (verified by the retreat certificate), COSP will give you a Statement of Premarital Education Form to take to the county clerk’s office, which will reduce your fee from $115 to $40. |