Congratulations on your engagement!  The goal of our parish is to help enrich your relationship with one another and with the Church.  To schedule a wedding, the bride and groom must:

1. Make an appointment with one of our priests or deacons at least six months in advance of the date chosen for their wedding.
2. Produce an original of their Baptismal Certificates dated within six months of the date of the wedding.  The Baptismal Certificate will include notations of the confirmation of the party and any marriage in the Catholic Church.
3. If either party has been previously married, the nature of the marriage will determine the requirements necessary to proceed with this marriage.  No arrangements for the wedding or reception should be contracted before the freedom of the parties to marry is determined and a date is set with the parish.

To make an appointment with a priest to discuss available dates and to obtain guidelines, contact the rectory.  At this appointment, you may place a nonrefundable deposit of $200.00 to secure your wedding date.  There is an additional fee of $200.00 for St. Christopher parishioners or $300.00 for those who are out of parish.

Church Fee
$400.00 total for parishioners
$500.00 total for out of parish

***Church fee must be paid to reserve date***

For a comprehensive discussion of the civil and church requirements in order for a marriage to take place, as well as the four-phase process mandated by the Archdiocese of New Orleans, please refer to "Steps To The Altar" at https://fla.arch-no.org/steps_to_the_altar and https://nolacatholic.org/getting-married-1.

Preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage involves participation in programs for the couple to grow in understanding of the sacrament.  Information about all preparation programs can be obtained from the Archdiocese of New Orleans Office of Family Life, 504-861-6243 or https://fla.arch-no.org/preparation, but a brief description is as follows:

• Day for the Engaged is held on a Saturday, 9:00-4:00, and enables couples, neither of whom have been previously married, to spend time in thought, conversation, writing, and prayer in the company of other couples preparing for the Sacrament of Matrimony.  Couples should attend at least five months before their marriage.
• Engaged Encounter is a weekend retreat recommended to take place three to six months before the wedding of couples, neither of whom has been married before.  Married couples and a priest make presentations, followed by writing and sharing exercises that offer couples a unique opportunity to share honestly with each other about their future lives together and to question, examine, and deepen their relationship with each other.
• Evening for the Engaged is offered to engaged couples seeking to marry for the first time.  It consists of six sessions that take place in presentors' homes with one or more engaged couples participating.  Themes include:  communication, marriage in God's way, sex in a love relationship, and living the Sacrament of Matrimony.  Sessions are designed to include brief presentations by a married couple, quiet written exercises, sharing with one's partner, and sharing exercises to be done outside the sessions.
• The Re-Marriage Preparation Program is nine hours in length, and attendance is recommended six months before the wedding.  It is designed specifically for all couples wherein one or both parties have been previously married to someone else and is limited to marriages wherein stepfamilies are involved.  Couples anticipating annulments should wait for a final decision before registering for this program.
• The Special Marriage Preparation Program is a marriage enrichment program established to serve couples in special circumstances, such as couples who are civilly married seeking church validation of their marriages and couples in long-term relationships. This program will highlight the strengths and weaknesses within the couple's relationship.

The laws of the Catholic Church regarding the recording of sacraments are the same worldwide.  We have a directory of churches throughout the world and can provide addresses, phone numbers, and fax numbers to help you in your request.  It may take a longer time to receive the information, so please allow sufficient time for mailing when scheduling your appointment.  The fact that someone was baptized in another country is not an exemption of this requirement.

A Catholic may marry a non-Catholic in a Catholic Church ceremony provided there are no impediments (previous marriages, etc.).  The Catholic Church does not deny the existence of a civil marriage.  This should be discussed when you meet with the priest.

Catholics married in a non-Catholic or civil ceremony may have their marriage blessed in the Catholic Church.  This church blessing is called a “Convalidation.”  The ceremony consists of a Liturgy of the Word, a homily, a renewal of vows, and a blessing of rings.  Two people will be needed to act as witnesses, and you may invite other family members and friends to be present.

In addition to the marriage preparation programs, the Archdiocese of New Orleans Office of Family Life also offers programs that support existing marriages.  For more information, please contact 504-861-6243 or https://fla.arch-no.org/enrichment:

• Marriage Encounter is offered to couples seeking a richer, fuller life together.  The weekend is Catholic in orientation but is open to couples of other faiths.
• Marriage Enrichment is a ministry intended for engaged and married couples seeking a fuller life together (but not for hurting marriages).  Designed to give married couples the opportunity to examine their lives together, Marriage Encounter is a time to share feelings, hopes, disappointments, joys, and frustrations openly and honestly with one's spouse.  The weekend is Catholic in orientation but is open to couples of other faiths; it takes place from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon at a local motel or retreat facility.  For more information, contact Jason and Stacy Verret, 800-586-5469.
• Retrouvaille/Rediscovery for Hurting Marriages consists of a weekend experience and a series of 12 presentations offered within the following three months.  This program is a ministry serving couples with troubled marriages and helps them to reestablish communication and gain new insights into themselves as individuals and as a couple, helping them to discover how listening, forgiveness, communication, and the dialogue process are powerful aids for building a loving and lasting relationship.
• Catholic Counseling Service provides quality counseling and psychotherapy through a unique perspective that upholds the richness of our Catholic faith.  The South Shore office is located at 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 420, Metairie, LA 70005.  For further details, please see https://fla.arch-no.org/counseling.