Kent & Nepean Streets
Parish Office - 281 Nepean St.
Ottawa ON K1R 5G2
CANADA
The clergy and staff of Saint Patrick's Basilica extends congratulations to you on your engagement! Your decision to enter into marriage can serve as a wonderful sign of commitment, faith, and hope to many around you. If you are considering a wedding at Saint Patrick's, the following guidelines will help answer many of your questions and help you plan your wedding day, when you enter into marriage in the sight of God, before the Church and before your family and friends.
In the words of the marriage ritual, those who marry
enter into a union which is most sacred and most serious, a union which was established by God Himself. By it, He gave to man a share in the greatest work of creation, the work of the continuation of the human race. And in this way He sanctified human love and enabled man and woman to help each other live as children of God, by sharing a common life under His fatherly care.
Because God Himself is thus its author, marriage is of its very nature a holy institution, requiring of those who enter into it a complete and unreserved giving of self.
In the eyes of the Church, marriage is a life-long covenant by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life. Marriage is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children. Marriage has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.
The marriage of any Catholic is governed not only by divine law but also by the canon law of the Church, without prejudice to the competence of the civil authority concerning the merely civil effects of the marriage bond.
Couples wishing to marry at Saint Patrick's are asked to contact the parish office for further information. The future bride and/or groom must be a registered parishioner of our parish for at least 6 months prior to requesting an initial interview for their marriage. Once an initial interview has taken place and it is established that the marriage will take place in the Church, a date of marriage may be reserved and deposit received through the interviewing clergy member. Saturday at 2:00 p.m. is the customary time set aside for weddings at the Basilica. Due to other liturgies in the Basilica on Saturday afternoon, weddings MUST begin on time. Wedding ceremonies are discouraged during Lent.
Music Director & Organist, Francesca Bailey, may be contacted at 613 233-1125 ext 561 or by email at francescabailey4@yahoo.ca.
Weddings on Saturday are to begin at noon, or at 2 p.m. Due to other church activities, couples are asked to be punctual.
Should a couple use a wedding planner, or any other intermediary in the planning of their wedding, it is the responsibility of the couple to inform the planner about these conditions and ensure that they are followed.
May your wedding ceremony be a memorable blessing as you begin your life together!