St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church

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Marriage Preparation at St. Anthony’s

The Church recognizes marriage as “an intimate community of life and love between a man and a woman which is directed toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children. By the design of God who created human nature, marriage is both permanent and exclusive.”

We congratulate those who make the decision to get married in the Church, for the marriage you propose today and will live for the rest of your lives reflects God’s perfect and eternal love for his Church.

Couples wishing to celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage must contact the pastor no less than six months prior to the proposed date of the wedding (earlier, if possible). At least one member must be Catholic, and normally, a parishioner of St. Anthony Church. The pre-marriage preparation process involves several meetings with the pastor as well as participation in a “Pre-Cana” program. Additional information from the diocesan website about marriage preparation can be found here.

If either party has been previously married, even if only civilly, an investigation will need to take place to determine if the party or parties are free to be married in the Catholic Church. As this can be a time-consuming process with uncertain results, it is most important that this investigation take place as early as possible. A wedding date cannot be set or even ‘penciled in’ on the church calendar until all previously-married parties are formally declared “free to marry”.

Please read the documents below, particularly the Couple’s Guide published by the Diocese of Springfield and the St Anthony Church Policies and Agreement document. Please contact the pastor at the parish office in order to begin the marriage preparation process: (217) 222-5996 or by e-mail.

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— Diocesan Links —

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