Marriage

God created man and woman out of love and commanded them to imitate his love in their relations with each other. Man and woman were created for each other…Woman and man are equal in human dignity, and in marriage both are united in an unbreakable bond. (United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, Ch. 21, p. 279)

The sacrament of marriage is a visible sign of God’s love for the Church. When a man and a woman are married in the Church, they receive the grace needed for a lifelong bond of unity.

Marriage is a Covenant

The Sacrament of Marriage is a covenantal union in the image of the covenants between God and his people with Abraham and later with Moses at Mt. Sinai. This divine covenant can never be broken. In this way, marriage is a union that bonds spouses together during their entire lifetime.
The sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace of the sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life. (CCC 1661)
The love in a married relationship is exemplified in the total gift of one’s self to another. It’s this self-giving and self-sacrificing love that we see in our other model of marriage, the relationship between Christ and the Church.
Marriage is based on the consent of the contracting parties, that is, on their will to give themselves, each to the other, mutually and definitively, in order to live a covenant of faithful and fruitful love. (CCC 1662)
The Church takes the lifelong nature of the Sacrament of Marriage seriously. The Church teaches that a break in this covenant teaches goes against the natural law of God:
The remarriage of persons divorced from a living, lawful spouse contravenes the plan and law of God as taught by Christ. They are not separated from the Church, but they cannot receive Eucharistic communion. They will lead Christian lives especially by educating their children in the faith. (CCC 1665)

Marriage Reflects the Holy Trinity

We believe that God exists in eternal communion. Together, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are united in one being with no beginning and no end. Human beings, likewise, were created by God in God’s image for the purpose of communion with another human being.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit” (CCC 2205). The Sacrament of Marriage is “unitive, indissoluble and calls us to be completely open to fertility.” Christian marriage at its finest is a reflection of God’s self-giving love expressed between the love of two people.

Wedding Information


Steps to take

1. Call the parish office to enquire about available dates for marriage ceremony.

2. You must be registered at St. Patrick Church (at least 6 months) or bring a letter from your home parish

3. Arrange initial meeting with a priest at St. Patrick Church or meet with your own Pastor

4. Complete and submit the Wedding Booking Form, including the deposit

5. Complete the process for dispensation, if applicable (see below: Documents #3).

6. Obtain all other documents that apply to you.

7. Get in touch with parish musician & liturgical coordinator no less than 8 weeks prior to wedding date

8. Make final payment no less than 6 weeks prior to wedding date

9. Email your church ceremony program, readings and prayer selections to officiating priest.

10. Obtain marriage license if needed (see below: Documents #4). 


 Documents: Your circumstances will determine if you need all or some of the documents listed below.

1. Certificate of Baptism It must be RECENT, issued within 6 months of submitting (for a Catholic). If you are a baptized non Catholic, a copy of your original certificate of baptism will suffice. Please make sure to obtain current mailing address of the church of baptism.

2. Confirmation certificate This can be a copy of the original, no need for a new one. Certificate of baptism, ideally, includes details of your confirmation, and if so, you will not need a separate document. Obtain certificate of baptism first.

3. Dispensation form(s) It is used in case of mixed religion, previous marriage(s), etc. If applicable, must be completed with the priest preparing you for marriage. Please note, any booking is TENTATIVE only, until this process is completed.

4. Marriage License – if you have never been married Obtain it from any California county within 2 or 3 months of your wedding date (usually valid for 90 days, please check with issuing office); submit no later than rehearsal day. However, if you choose to have a Confidential Marriage License, it must be issued in the County of San Francisco. Please note: by law, a wedding ceremony CANNOT be held without a valid marriage license, regardless of all arrangements you will have made.

5. Current Marriage certificate – if you are already in a civil marriage, seeking Church convalidation Please submit at the first meeting with the priest preparing you for marriage.

6. Marriage certificate(s) of previous marriage(s) If you were married before, please submit at the first meeting with the priest preparing you for marriage.

7. Divorce decree(s) If you are divorced, please submit at the first meeting with the priest preparing you for marriage.


Important Information

1. Having a wedding at St. Patrick Church implies that you are a registered parishioner of our church for at least

6 months. If you home parish is elsewhere, you will have to bring a permission letter from your church.

➢ If you (Catholic Party) are not a registered member of our parish, you will need to obtain a “permission

letter” /“freedom to marry” from your own parish and complete the marriage preparation in your own

parish. Your local priest will send the complete wedding packet to the Pastor, no later than six weeks

before the ceremony. You can invite your pastor/another priest to officiate your marriage at St. Patrick’s

➢ If you (Catholic Party) are not residing in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, you will need to undergo

marriage preparation in your own parish and diocese where you are a registered parishioner or have

residence. Your local priest will send completed wedding packet to the Chancery office of your local

Diocese. Documents will then be forwarded to St. Patrick’s.

➢ If the officiating priest is from outside the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the priest will be asked to obtain

and submit the Letter of Good Standing and Permission for Visiting Clergy in order to perform priestly

duties in this Archdiocese. Please provide your priest’s contact details.

➢ If the officiating priest is from another parish within the Archdiocese of San Francisco, he will only need

to obtain the delegation – written or verbal – from the Pastor of St. Patrick Church.

2. Because marriage is such a serious commitment, the process of preparing for your wedding involves several

stages. For this reason, wedding arrangements must be made at least six (6) months before the wedding date.

3. Each bridal party has a scheduled time for both the rehearsal and wedding ceremony. Should your wedding

begin later than the scheduled time, your photography session inside the church may be shortened or

cancelled to ensure undisturbed liturgical celebrations that follow your wedding ceremony.

Rehearsal can be Thursday or Friday 6pm – 7:30pm. Wedding ceremony is Saturday at 2pm; the church is

available to you 1pm-4pm, i.e. one hour before (set up, flowers) and one hour after the ceremony (pictures).

4. The Church is a sacred place, the House of God. Reverent cooperation and decorum are expected from all.

Please remind your wedding party and guests to show reverence, speak quietly, not to bring food or drink

inside the church. The use of alcohol in the church or on the property at any time by members of the wedding

party or guests is not allowed. By signing below you assume responsibility to communicate this to all friends

and guests attending your wedding rehearsal and ceremony at St. Patrick Church.


Please fill out the form below. If you prefer, you may also print out the form and bring or mail it to the parish office. (Attention: Secretary). Feel free to contact parish office with any questions. Office hours are Mon-Fri 9am-1pm and 2pm-5pm.

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