Church Wedding: Getting Married in the Philippines
by: JC Bulan
Being both Catholics, getting married in a Catholic church in the Philippines is the right decision. Keep yourselves afire, starting from the moment you decide both to get married. You will be embarking through the next part of your journey as a Catholic couple, the marriage preparations. The furnished apartment in Novaliches is near several Catholic Churches where you can have the Sacrament of Marriage celebrated.
It typically takes you 3 months at the minimum to prepare for the Church wedding.
Both of you will be busy for the next upcoming 3 to 6 months, and hopefully you will discover the best of the qualities of your future spouse, as you will open horizons of new adventures together.
Besides getting busy, the Philippines has a wide array of Catholic Churches which were built since the time of the Spanish Conquistadores. There are also new Catholic Churches, so if you agreed to have the marriage bond in a small but solemn Church, we have lots in the Philippines. All you have to do is to choose the best for the most awaited event.
Choosing Catholic Marriage over Legal Marriage
Despite the costs, Filipinos put a high regard to church marriages which root in our Christian culture and closely-knit family ties. A Catholic marriage is not only a festive occasion but a milestone which calls for the unity of two families.[1] Within a Catholic marriage, a couple obtains the grace of the married state. According to St. Josemaria, the grace of the married state allows them to live all the human and Christian virtues during their married life.
As the Catholic Church teaches, a person is made up of both body and soul. During marriage then, the two persons with flesh and spirit unite. As the wedding vows go, the couple would need to stick together in both bad times and good times. This would then entail spiritual help called sanctifying grace which they obtain from the sacrament, aside from material means.
Marriage cannot take place without God’s blessing because this came from God. He cannot be taken out of the context of marriage. The sacrament was created as an eternal covenant, meant for the good of both the spouses and their offspring. The sacrament of marriage comes with sanctifying graces that the couple and their family need throughout their lifetime till they reach their real home - in heaven.
Receiving the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Holy Communion, before Marriage
It is a must to receive the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, and Holy Communion before marriage. These increases sanctifying grace inside the couple’s souls and enable them to receive the sacrament fruitfully. It’s like a preparation, like a worker undergoing training to take on bigger responsibilities and an athlete preparing for competitions. Just like how the worker gains expertise and the athlete acquires agility, so does grace grows in you.
Let’s take a closer look at grace and the sacraments. What is grace and why is it important? The Catholic Church defines grace as supernatural gifts from God ensuring close union and constant communication with Him.[2] Supernatural means that they are above the nature of a human being.
Baptism signifies entry into God’s Church while confirmation is the re-affirmation of the Christian vows made by our parents for us when we were baptized. With confirmation, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are essential in married life, are strengthened. Some examples of these are wisdom, understanding and counsel. [3]
Among these sacraments, the most important one is Holy Communion. This is the act of receiving God in the appearances of bread and wine. Receiving communion not only gives people grace but most importantly the giver of the spiritual help Himself, Christ. When we receive Holy Communion worthily we become like Him, as daughters and sons of God. We are strengthened in Love, through Love and for Love.
Another necessary preparation is spiritual direction. Spiritual direction is like mentoring for the spirit. You can discuss with the director, a priest, your inner struggles, identification with Christ’s teachings, prayer life, and questions about the faith. The priest, being a representative of Christ, has a special grace to steer souls. Spiritual direction is a very delicate and intimate matter so it is recommended that this be done on a one-on-one basis.
Before going to the Philippines, have the documents in place showing your readiness and eligibility for marriage. First is the certificate of legal capacity to contract marriage which proves your single status. You can request this online by booking an appointment with your embassy or consulate in the Philippines.
Bring with you the original and photocopies of your birth, baptismal, and confirmation certificates. If the documents cannot be located in the records of your country of origin parish, you may request a certificate of non-baptism and non-confirmation. Write on the form your contact number, email address, as well as skype address and viber to make sure that you can easily be reached should there be a need.
The passport is also an important source so make sure it reflects a valid address. Submit the form and supporting documents to the chancery office of your diocese. Another important paper is the the certificate of being unmarried.
The Filipino partner needs to prepare his/her birth, baptismal, and confirmation certificates as well. Take good care of your Pre-Cana seminar certificates as these are pre-requisites to getting a marriage license from the local government.
Aside from parishes, there are independent organizations such as the Education for the Upbringing of Children (EDUCHILD) which offer Pre-Cana seminars. EDUCHILD branded this as the “Before I Do” program. This is a two-day affair (consecutive Saturdays) covering topics like love as a decision, communication in love, and marriage as a sacrament. For more information, you may reach the head of Educhild, Marie Escueta through +63917 801-3274 or email at marie.escueta@gmail.com.
EDUCHILD also organizes programs for married couples. One is the “Beyond I Do”. This is a weekend live-in seminar which gives couples the chance to re-examine their marriage. Two questions will be answered through a string of short talks and activities: how their marriage has been and how it could be better. To find out more, you may get in touch with Vicky Huang at +63917-529-6029 or email at dbhuang@gmail.com
Another EDUCHILD program is “Family Visioning”. This is a half-day seminar-workshop which provides a venue for couples to think, talk, and articulate their dreams and wishes for their families. For more information, you may also contact Marie Escueta.
I am from another country and my Baptismal Certificate is lost
I am from another country and my Baptismal Certificate is lost
If you do not have documents from your home country to prove that you are Catholic, then double-check first if you have indeed received the sacrament. Ask details from your parents and relatives. They might have an indication of the parish you were baptized in, as well as the date, time, and attendees. In some cases, the name of the parish could suffice. You may then contact the office to request a copy of your baptismal certificate. Best to remember your godparents and ask them about the event.
Inform the Parish Priest himself that your records were lost from their office. You may actually request for a certification from the Parish Office or visit your local Chancery office (office of the Bishop) in your respective country.
The Parish in the Philippines where I was suppose to be Baptized has no records! Not even the Chancery :0
If you are the Filipino partner, you may request for full reconstruction of records in your parish. First, file a Certificate of Loss of Baptismal Record in your parish. Next, accomplish in the presence of the parish priest, an affidavit signed either by yourself or an unexceptionable witness. If your baptismal record cannot be found but you strongly believe that you are a Catholic, ask your parish priest about receiving conditional baptism. Have your NSO-certified birth certificate, parents’ marriage contract, school records, and valid Ids ready for this meeting.
The Parish in the Philippines where I was suppose to be Baptized has no records! Not even the Chancery :0
If you are the Filipino partner, you may request for full reconstruction of records in your parish. First, file a Certificate of Loss of Baptismal Record in your parish. Next, accomplish in the presence of the parish priest, an affidavit signed either by yourself or an unexceptionable witness. If your baptismal record cannot be found but you strongly believe that you are a Catholic, ask your parish priest about receiving conditional baptism. Have your NSO-certified birth certificate, parents’ marriage contract, school records, and valid Ids ready for this meeting.
This may look tedious but just imagine yourself visiting St. Peter or St. Paul’s office during the first Christians time. Despite your busy schedule, why not take time visiting the Bishop of your locality and even have a photo shoot... to make it memorable and show it to your soon to be husband and wife the efforts you are making to complete the papers. Surely, love grows. This can be difficult especially if your certificate is coming from another end of your country. Use the power of technology.
Also, set up an appointment with your parish’s Chancery office for guidance. Before the session, you will fill up a form citing the reason for the meeting. Discuss to the Chancellor the reasons for not being able to complete the requirements. Afterwards, request a dispensation form at the Chancellor’s office.
Once you have all the requirements, register in the parish where you wish to be married. It is recommended to get married at your future spouse’s parish but it’s fine to get married in another place. File an application of the intent to marry, request for a Pre-Cana seminar, and interview schedule with the parish priest.
Bring with you all the pre-requisite documents. After the interview with the parish priest, you will be interviewed by the bishop. Don’t worry, the meeting is not like a court hearing where you have to defend your reasons for getting married. Instead, the bishop will give you his blessings and fatherly advice. If there’s a need, he might also discuss some Church law matters with you. The next step is the marriage bann announcements. These would be posted on the parish bulletin board for a period of three weeks.
Let’s have a rundown of the time you need for the wedding preps.
First, the gathering of requirements like the birth certificate may take you one week or less, according to the government office’s timelines. Allot a month for the church applications. This includes the seminars and interviews. The estimated time for getting the marriage license from the city hall can take around a week. As mentioned earlier, the marriage banns would be posted for three weeks.
Since your wedding is a memorable event, you would like it to be perfect. Actually planning the reception may comprise the bulk of your preparations. You have a lot to take into account: reserving the venue, inviting the guests, identifying the wedding entourage, food tasting, song selection, fitting of clothes.
It would be perhaps good if you could set aside at least three to six months for this task since you would also need to consider the schedules of your guests. Another important thing to check is your budget.
Make sure that you have already set this right at the beginning with your future spouse. Having a devotion to St. Gabriel will actually be a big help.
Comments
Post a Comment