Saint Ignatius

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Pastoral Staff for Weddings

Rev. James Barker, Pastor…………………….(410) 879-1926
Rev. Mark Bialek………………………………….(410) 879-1923
Rev. Stephen Sutton, Associate Pastor………..(410) 879-1926
Deacon Pete Calabrese………………………. (410) 836-9918
Deacon Ralph Trautwein………………………(410) 879-1926
Deacon Lee Benson……………………………(410)879-1926
Mr. Jim Foxwell, Organist……….…………..…(410) 459-2764
Mrs. Joan Strickroth, Sacristan…………………(410) 879-9390

Congratulations!

We are delighted that you are planning to be married, and that St. Ignatius Church is part of your plans. The pastoral staff of St. Ignatius wants your wedding to be filled with a sense of God’s presence. This booklet is presented in order to help you plan your wedding celebration in this spirit.Wedding arrangements are certainly necessary and important, but we hope that you never lose sight of the fact that Marriage is primarily a Sacrament- a sacred sign of your love for each other in Christ. “Christ abundantly blesses your love. He enriches and strengthens you by a special Sacrament so that you may assume the duties of marriage in mutual and lasting fidelity.” (THE RITE OF MARRIAGE)

One of the best ways to prepare for a happy marriage is to pray together for God’s blessing on your marriage. Also pray alone and together for your marriage and for each other. Since this a new beginning in your life, we encourage you to ask forgiveness of God for all your past sins and to open your hearts to a new life with Him. The Catholic party(s) is also encouraged to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation in preparation for marriage.

Please accept our sincere best wishes and prayers for a happy married life together.

The following regulations reflect the laws and policies of the Catholic Church, the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and our own parish of St. Ignatius.

Initial Arrangements

An appointment should be made with the priest or deacon of your choice at least six months in advance of the proposed wedding date. You may request a priest or deacon from our pastoral staff, or you may invite a member of the clergy from another Catholic parish to preside at a ceremony here at St. Ignatius. If you invite a presider from another parish, he will need to send us a letter confirming his acceptance of the wedding ceremony. In any case, we cannot reserve a time, date, or place for your wedding until you have discussed your plans personally with a priest or deacon at St. Ignatius.

You must be a registered parishioner of St. Ignatius for at least one year before contacting the parish to make arrangements for your wedding.

Wedding Location and Time

Weddings may be celebrated in our Historic Church or in our New Parish Church. Our newly renovated Historic Church seats approximately 110-130 people, while our Parish Church holds approximately 800. We cannot accommodate concurrent weddings, so if one location is booked for a certain date and time, no wedding will be held at that time in the other location.

Weddings can be scheduled for 11am or 1pm on Saturdays, or on Friday evenings as facility and clergy calendars permit. We do not schedule weddings on Sundays, Holy Days, or national holidays. Weddings on other days may be scheduled as the parish and clergy calendars permit.

Wedding Rehearsal

The rehearsal should be scheduled as soon as possible with the presiding priest or deacon, preferably at the time of your first meeting with him. Those attending the rehearsal generally include the bride and groom, all members of the bridal party, the parents of the couple, and any readers or other active participants in the wedding ceremony. Musicians generally do not attend the wedding rehearsal.

Marriage Preparation

As a life-long commitment and a sacred sacrament in our Church, marriage requires a serious level of preparation. The Archdiocese of Baltimore mandates all couples to participate in a formal program of preparation. This requirement may be satisfied in several ways.

1. Pre-Cana Preparation—large group gatherings of approximately 15-20 couples, generally for two to three sessions. These take place throughout the archdiocese and at St. Ignatius in the Spring and Fall.
2. Sponsor Couple—a process of several sessions with a selected married couple from St. Ignatius parish, who will meet with the engaged couple personally over a period of several weeks
3. Engaged Encounter—a retreat offering personal attention and guidance for approximately 20 couples, scheduled from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon on various weekends at retreat houses throughout the archdiocese.

Wedding Music

“The function of music is ministerial; it must serve and never dominate. Music should assist the assembled believers to express and share the gift of faith that is within them and to nourish and strengthen their interior commitment of faith.”(U.S. Catholic Conference) The music must be liturgically appropriate for the celebration of the sacrament. It is the community’s prayer and praise to God for this joyous occasion. For this reason, all music must be sacred in nature. Certain secular pieces (pop, Broadway, etc.) may have a special place in the hearts of couples, but it is recommended that such pieces be played at the reception where they are more appropriate.

Immediately after your initial meeting with one of the priests or deacons, you should call our wedding organist, Jim Foxwell (410-459-2764). Securing the date on the parish calendar automatically books Jim as your organist.  However, you must contact him for preliminary discussion of the music for your wedding.  It is not necessary to make specific musical decisions at this time.

A cantor is required whether you are having a ceremony or Mass.  It is strongly recommended that a cantor from St. Ignatius be employed.  The use of an outside cantor requires approval of the Music Director.

Please note: When a guest organist is desired, the parish organist is still entitled, by contract, to a bench fee (normal stipend) for each parish wedding.  If you intend to use a guest musician(s) instead of the parish organist, you must communicate this to the Music Director during the initial contact mentioned above.   PLEASE DO NOT HAVE GUEST MUSICIANS CONTACT THE MUSIC DIRECTOR UNTIL AFTER YOU HAVE SPOKEN WITH THE MUSIC DIRECTOR.  Musical selections chosen with the assistance of guest musicians must be approved by the St. Ignatius Music Director.

Use of an orchestral instrument (flute, violin, trumpet, etc.) or a combination of instruments is a nice touch and will enhance the ceremony if it is within your budget.  The organist will also help you with decisions as to when music should be played.  Factors such as Mass vs. ceremony, unity candle, and others must be considered in these decisions.

You must finalize your music selections no later than 30 days prior to your wedding. It is your responsibility to make an appointment with the organist to select your music.  If you do not select music within the prescribed timeline, the Music Director will plan the music for you.

If you are paying a bench fee and using a guest musician in lieu of the St. Ignatius organist, you should select music with the guest musician.  Selections must be approved by the St. Ignatius Music Director.

Wedding Validations

At times, couples are already legally married but wish to have their marriage vows blessed in the Catholic Church.  If you are validating your marriage at St. Ignatius and desire music for your wedding ceremony or Nuptial Mass, you must call Jim Foxwell (410-459-2764) to make arrangements for music.  Otherwise, no music will be provided.  If you do not want music for your validation, all policies regarding music apply.

The organist’s fee is $200.  This includes one rehearsal with a soloist (if necessary) and the actual Mass or ceremony.  The organist reserves the right to charge a fee if more than one rehearsal is required.  Fees for soloists and musicians in addition to, or in lieu of, St. Ignatius’ organist should be negotiated with those individuals.  Payment should be made in advance of the wedding day.  It is recommended that all fees be given to your priest or deacon at the meeting where you plan your wedding.  All fees must be paid prior to the rehearsal.

The Wedding Liturgy

A couple may choose to be married in either a Wedding Ceremony or a Nuptial Mass. The Wedding Ceremony consists of readings from Scripture, a homily, the exchange of vows, and selected prayers and blessings. Ceremonies will be officiated by one of our ordained deacons. The Nuptial Mass consists of readings from Scripture, a homily, the exchange of vows, the Eucharistic prayer, the reception of communion, and selected prayers and blessings. It may only be officiated by a priest. The pastoral staff will be happy to assist you in making a selection.

You may invite a member of the clergy from another Catholic parish to preside at your wedding here at St. Ignatius.  If you invite a presider from another parish, he will need to send us a letter confirming his acceptance of the wedding ceremony.

Photography and Videotaping

The recording of any wedding ceremony through the use of photography or videotape must respect the sacred nature of the liturgy and must not be a distraction to the ministers, the bridal party, or the guests. Photographers may take pictures of the wedding, but may not enter the sanctuary at any time during the ceremony. Video cameras are permitted only on tripods and only in a stationary position in the church during the ceremony. Extra lights are not allowed.

Photographs may be taken in the church after the ceremony only if there is sufficient time to do so before the next function.  If your wedding begins on time and runs the normal one hour, you will have a full 1/2-hour for picture taking. If your wedding begins late, picture-taking time will be reduced because of incoming weddings and parish services.  The bridal party and the photographers are to maintain a respectful manner, with due regard for the sacred nature of the church when taking photographs after the ceremony.  No sanctuary furniture may be moved for the taking of the photographs.

Decorations

The following rules have been put in place over the years in an effort to maintain and care for our historic church, as well as for safety reasons. The same rules will apply to the New Church.

A couple wishing to place flowers in the sanctuary for their wedding should call our sacristan, Mrs. Joan Strickroth at 410-879-5219 for advice and final approval on the arrangements. The florist of your choice may be used, and the following guidelines must be strictly enforced.

• Flowers in the sanctuary are limited to two medium flower arrangements to be placed on either side of the altar. In addition, there may be a small arrangement on the step in front of the altar, if desired.
• Flowers are never to be placed on the altar itself or in any way that detracts from the sacred nature of the sanctuary.
• Flowers may not be placed anywhere else in the church (e.g. none on the window sills, sconces, back of church, altar rail, doorways, etc.)
• Flower girls may not drop anything on our carpet.
• If bows are used on the pews, they must be affixed by ribbon only.
• For safety reasons, a runner may not be used. (Please be aware that runners originated on wooden-floored churches to protect wedding gowns from damage; they can be difficult to walk on when they are laid over carpeted floors.)
• The carrying of lighted candles and/or attaching them to the pews will not be permitted.
• No rice, birdseed, confetti, rose petals, or any other item may be thrown inside or outside any building on the parish grounds. Insurance regulations and maintenance problems prohibit this. Balloons may not be released at either Church.
• Wedding/Unity Candle – for safety purposes, we only allow the St. Ignatius Wedding Candle to be used.

When more than one wedding is to be celebrated on a weekend, we encourage couples to contact each other and to share the cost of flowers in the sanctuary.  Please ask the priest or deacon to assist you in this regard.

Wedding Participants

Readers and Leaders of Prayer: A member of the bridal party, of the family, or any guest may be invited to read from Scripture or to lead in selected prayers at the celebration.  Please consult with the priest or deacon for assistance.

Flower girls and Ring Bearers: Flower girls and ring bearers should be at least six years old.

Altar Servers: Couples may request the parish to assign altar servers for the ceremony, or they may invite a family member or friend who is experienced in serving to do so.

The Best Man and Maid (or Matron) of Honor, members of the bridal party, and other participants in the wedding liturgy need not be Catholic.  It would be appropriate, however, for readers and leaders of prayer to be of the Christian faith.

Required Documents

Baptismal Certificate:  Each Catholic party must obtain a newly issued baptismal certificate (issued within six months of the wedding date) from the church of baptism.  You may obtain a certificate by contacting the church directly.  A baptized non-Catholic is asked to provide a photocopy of his or her baptismal certificate.

Marriage License: All couples must obtain a marriage license from Harford County.  Applicattions are taken between the hours of 8:30 AM and 3:30 PM at 7 W. Courtland street (across from the main entrance to the courthouse).  The application fee of $40 must be made by check or money order.  Only one of the parties must personally appear with all the necessary information for both and make the application.  The license will be issued at the time of application and will contain an effective date two days after the issue date.  The license is valid for 6 months.

The priest or deacon will assist you in determining whether additional documents are necessary for your marriage.

Punctuality

It is very important that the wedding rehearsal and celebration begin promptly on time.  Courtesy to your guests, the tight schedules of the clergy, and the use of parish facilities for subsequent services demand attention to this matter.  Late starting times, for example, will almost certainly limit the ability to take photographs after a ceremony.

Offerings

In response to the numerous times this question has been asked, the parish has established the following scale as a suggested minimum offering for the wedding celebration.  The Church Offering is not a stipend for your priest or deacon; this sum covers the cost of using the church.  The Celebrant Offering would be a personal gift to the officiate.  These offerings should be placed in separate, marked envelopes and given to the celebrant at your second meeting (prior to your rehearsal).

Church Offering (registered parishioners) $250
(Registered parishioners are those who have registered in the parish and who have been contributing, participating members for at least one year.)
Organist Stipend $200
Cantor Stipend $125
Sacristan Stipend $50
Customary Celebrant Offering $75