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To marry in a Catholic church, you must meet these requirements ahead of time, according to RCIA director
For couples who wish to be wed in a Catholic church, there are certain requirements that must be met first.
Weddings of all sorts take proper planning, and a sacred ceremony is no different.
If you and your future spouse choose to get married in a Catholic church, give yourselves at least six months to prepare, Kevin Pesek, director of RCIA and marriage preparation at St. Mary’s Catholic Center in College Station, Texas, told Fox News Digital in a phone interview.
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Although that is the bare minimum time you need, Pesek said nine months to a year is the ideal time frame to aim for.
While guidelines from church to church may differ, it’s important to understand the specific requirements at the church where you wish to hold your ceremony.
For a marriage ceremony in a Catholic church, both people don’t need to share the same faith, but there are certain commitments that must be made. (iStock)
That said, there are certain steps you can expect.
- Interview with couple
- Key documentation
- Marriage preparation
- Ceremony components
1. Interview with couple
Before all else, the couple need to have an interview with the priest or marriage coordinator at the church.
During this initial meeting, the couple will be asked a series of questions to make sure there aren’t any pre-existing conditions that will prevent them from getting married in the church, such as having been married before.
Pesek told Fox News Digital that this initial interview really serves two main purposes.
This first one is to make sure that the couple is able to get married in the Catholic Church. The second is to verify that the couple knows what they’re signing up for when they opt for a religious ceremony by gaining an understanding of what the Catholic Church teaches about marriage.
2. Key documentation
While the requirements can vary from church to church, documentation such as proof of baptism is something likely to be asked of you no matter which parish your ceremony is held.
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You will also likely need to turn in something called a “witness affidavit,” according to Pesek, which is a questionnaire verifying information about the couple to make sure that they can get married in the Catholic Church.
Adequate time is needed to prepare for a marriage ceremony performed in a Catholic church, not only to ensure the space is available but also for the couple to complete marriage preparation courses. (iStock)
“They have to have someone that has known them 10 years actually fill it out,” Pesek said. Opinions given in the affidavit, such as that a couple is too young, won’t prevent them from getting married.
3. Marriage preparation
Marriage preparation, or Pre-Cana, is a series of courses or consultations that couples must complete before getting married in the Catholic Church. These courses are designed to help the couple grow their relationship with each other and with God.
Not all marriage preparation courses are going to look identical from couple to couple.
“We do ask for a willingness and an openness to grow throughout the process,” Pesek said. “For some couples, that’s work[ing] on communication with each other, or other couples, working on communication with God, with prayer, with going to church.”
If there is a difference in religion between the couple, that does not prevent them from being married in a Catholic church, but that is a discussion that will be had during marriage preparation.
“The difference of religion is something that’s going to be talked about, additionally, as part of their premarital counseling,” Pesek said.
For example, during premarital counseling, discussions will be had about how the difference in religion will affect children in the future.
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“In the presence of the non-Catholic, the Catholic spouse will make a solemn promise to do all in his/her power to baptize and raise the children in the Catholic faith,” Pesek explained on St. Mary’s website. “This does not mean that the non-Catholic spouse has to convert, or that they have no role to play in the religious upbringing of their own children.”
4. Ceremony components
As far as the ceremony itself goes, many churches will give the couple certain personalization options.
“Couples are always able to choose their music and they can choose the different readings. They can choose which priest they have,” Pesek noted.
There are certain options that couples can choose from in a Catholic marriage ceremony, such as the number of people in their wedding party and the different readings spoken during the ceremony. (iStock)
The couple can also choose how many people are part of their wedding party and what they are going to wear to the ceremony, although more modest attire is the typical dress code, Brides.com notes.
If the bride and groom are both of the Catholic faith, there is usually a wedding Mass, Pesek said, which includes Communion.
If one of them is not Catholic, ceremony components change slightly.
“If one of them is not Catholic, it’s normal for them to have [what’s] called the Liturgy of the Word service,” Pesek said.
“They have the readings, and they have the homily. They exchange the vows, and the priest gives the blessing, but there’s no Communion, it’s not Mass, because one of them wouldn’t be able to receive Communion.”
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A security guard was fatally shot outside a Houston restaurant Wednesday evening after a confrontation with another man, authorities said.
The shooting happened around 6:15 p.m. outside Connie’s Seafood Market Restaurant, the Houston Police Department said.
Police told reporters that the security guard, who was working for the restaurant, was standing in the parking lot when a fight broke out between him and another man, FOX26 Houston reported.
Police said the security guard was shot at least once. He was rushed to a hospital where he later died.
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A security guard was fatally shot outside a Houston restaurant Wednesday evening after a confrontation with another man, authorities said. (Houston Police Department)
Authorities did not immediately release the name of the victim.
The suspect was last seen running away from the parking lot after the shooting.
The security guard was working for the restaurant at the time of the shooting. (Google Maps)
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No details about the suspect or the circumstances that led to the altercation have been released as of Thursday morning.
Houston police were reviewing surveillance footage as they search for the shooting suspect. (Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle, File)
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Officials said investigators were reviewing surveillance footage and speaking with witnesses to get a description of the suspect.
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The Texas American Federation of Teachers (AFT) announced on Tuesday that it plans to sue the Texas Education Agency (TEA) over what it called “unlawful investigations” into school officials over social media posts made about Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
In September, Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath sent out a letter to state school superintendents announcing that he was launching investigations into school officials that he said “posted and/or shared reprehensible and inappropriate content on social media” regarding the Turning Point USA founder’s death.
“Such posts could constitute a violation of the Educators’ Code of Ethics and each instance will be thoroughly reviewed to determine whether sanctionable conduct has occurred and staff will investigate accordingly,” Morath wrote. “While the exercise of free speech is a fundamental right we are all blessed to share, it does not give carte blanche authority to celebrate or sow violence against those that share different beliefs and perspectives.”
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Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath issued a letter in September announcing investigations into teachers’ social media posts about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. (fstop123/iStock via Getty Images Plus)
The lawsuit alleges that since the letter was issued, several Texas AFT members have been placed on administrative leave, reprimanded or terminated over their social media posts, which the organization claims is a First Amendment violation.
“Somewhere and somehow, our state’s leaders lost their way,” Texas AFT President Zeph Capo said in a statement. “A few well-placed Texas politicians and bureaucrats think it is good for their careers to trample on educators’ free speech rights. They decided scoring a few cheap points was worth the unfair discipline, the doxxing, and the death threats targeted at Texas teachers. Meanwhile, educators and their families are afraid that they’ll lose everything: their livelihoods, their reputations, and their very purpose for being, which is to impart critical thinking.”
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National AFT President Randi Weingarten also released a statement condemning the TEA.
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, released a statement condemning the Texas Education Agency for the letter. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Sadly, Texas officials, unlike their colleagues in Utah, decided to exploit the tragedy of Mr. Kirk’s senseless murder, rather than deescalate,” Weingarten said. “Their actions are a transparent effort to smear and shame educators, divide our communities, and deny our kids opportunities to learn and thrive. They are a state-sponsored attack on teachers because of what they thought were private comments to friends and family. And even if we think some of this speech is noxious, defending one’s right to speak is the essence of our democracy.”
She added, “You don’t lose your constitutional rights when you decide to become a teacher—the Constitution, for it to have any meaning at all, has to work for all Americans, not just some.”
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The AFT is seeking a permanent injunction of the TEA policy and investigations. The TEA declined to comment to Fox News Digital.
School officials across the country have been fired or reprimanded for appearing to celebrate Charlie Kirk’s assassination. (Phill Magakoe/AFP via Getty Images)
In the weeks following Kirk’s assassination, several public school teachers across the nation were reprimanded or fired after going viral with controversial social media posts that appeared to celebrate his death.
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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott previously announced that more than 100 teachers in the state would have their teaching certifications suspended after investigators found they had called for or encouraged violence following Kirk’s assassination.
Fox News’ Kristine Parks contributed to this report.
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The Minnesota ICE shooting that resulted in the death of Renee Good has drawn strong reactions everywhere.
According to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Good was operating a vehicle that agents ordered her to exit. Good, according to Noem, refused and “attempted to run them over and ram them with her vehicle.”
After Vice President JD Vance delivered a strong statement defending ICE agents for their work, the White House posted a graphic with a portion of Vance’s plea and the caption, “STAND WITH ICE.”
Texas Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Baltimore Orioles at Ameriquest Field Aug. 7, 2005, in Arlington, Texas. (Tim Heitman/USA Today Sports )
Former MLB All-Star Mark Teixeira, who launched his campaign for Texas’ 21st Congressional District in August as a Republican to “help defend President Trump’s America First agenda,” voiced his support.
“I stand with ICE,” the former Texas Ranger, Atlanta Brave, Los Angeles Angel and New York Yankee wrote on X.
Teixeira’s announcement followed Rep. Chip Roy’s decision not to seek re-election and run for Texas attorney general. Roy, who represents the district, made the announcement in a campaign video shared on X last year. His video centered on preserving the Lone Star State’s legacy of “liberty, freedom and self-determination.”
Former New York Yankee Mark Teixeira throws out the first pitch before a game between the Minnesota Twins and the Yankees in the 2019 ALDS at Yankee Stadium. (Brad Penner/USA Today Sports)
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Noem called the incident “domestic terrorism.”
“An officer of ours acted quickly and defensively, shot to protect himself and the people around him,” she said.
Federal authorities said Good tried to run over ICE agents who were part of a 2,000-member team sent to the Twin Cities to round up and deport undocumented immigrant criminals.
Teixeira, 45, played 14 seasons in the majors. He debuted with the Rangers in 2003 but is perhaps best known for being an MVP candidate and World Series champion with the Yankees, the final stop of his career.
New York Yankees first baseman Mark Teixeira hits an RBI single against the Oakland Athletics during the sixth inning at the Oakland Coliseum May 22, 2016, in Oakland, Calif. (Kelley L Cox/USA Today Sports)
One of the best hitters in the game, Teixeira was a three-time Silver Slugger Award winner and finished his career with a .269 batting average and 409 home runs. He was a five-time Gold Glove winner and was a member of the Yankees’ 2009 World Series championship team.
The congressional race is set for November 2026, with a primary scheduled for March.
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
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