How to Schedule the Sacrament of Marriage
at the Cathedral Parish of Saint Augustine
The Cathedral Parish rejoices with you
in the announcement of your engagement!
The Cathedral welcomes couples from all over the United States to celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony. It is a way in which we can share our heritage, as the oldest continuously worshipping Catholic community in the United States, with Catholics from throughout our country.
Important considerations when selecting a Cathedral Parish location for your wedding:
(1) Couples are normally prepared by the priest who will celebrate their wedding. If he is unable to do the preparation, another priest must be found to do it. Please note that the priests of the Cathedral Parish usually ONLY do preparation with couples they themselves are marrying.
(2) Weddings are NOT celebrated at the Cathedral on the first Saturday of December except for 7:00 PM (due to the annual Christmas parade in our historic area), or during the Easter Triduum.
Offerings and Fees
Use of the Church: Please note the following fees are for the rental use only of these facilities: Cathedral, Prince of Peace Votive Church, La Leche Chapel and Rustic Altar or St. Benedict the Moor, and include no stipend for your priest. (Suggested minimum offering to your priest is $150.)
For members of parishes of the Diocese of St. Augustine the offering is $500.00.
For members of parishes outside the diocese of St. Augustine the offering is $2,500.00.
One-half of this offering is required when you make the reservation; the balance of your church fee is due one month prior to your wedding.
The church deposit is refundable less a $50.00 administration charge up to 7 months prior to your wedding. If you cancel within 7 months of your wedding you forfeit your deposit. The balance of your church fee is due one month prior to your wedding.
Please Note: You will be contacted by our music department once your reservation is settled; your wedding fee does not include your music, instrumentalist, cantors, sacristans, or altar servers.
Scheduling Times
Weddings may be scheduled on Saturdays in the Cathedral Basilica at the following times: 11:00 a.m., 2:00 p.m. or 7:00 p.m.; on Sundays at 3:00 p.m.; and on other days at appropriate times.
Weddings may be scheduled at St. Benedict the Moor Church, or Prince of Peace Votive Church at any reasonable time. Weddings may be scheduled at the Rustic Altar or at Our Lady of La Leche Chapel at the following times: 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. It will require special permission from the Mission Director or Church Sacristan for any alteration to this time schedule.
Due to possible weather situations, weddings at the Rustic Altar must reserve the Prince of Peace Votive Church as a backup. Weddings are not permitted at the Great Cross or in any other areas of the Mission Grounds
Your Wedding Liturgy
An important part of planning your wedding is planning the wedding liturgy itself. Your priest can go over the choice of readings, processions, etc., with you. Please consult our wedding music handout for information on this integral and beautiful part of your celebration.
The first step in Marriage preparation is contacting your parish priest.
Our diocese, like most dioceses, requires that a priest coordinate and prepare you for your life as a Catholic married couple. That may include any of a variety of standard marriage-preparation components, such as a weekend Engaged Encounter, working with a “sponsor couple,” working through a premarital inventory (such as the PMI or FOCCUS: your priest will know these), etc.
Before we can book a solid reservation date for a wedding, both of the following are required:
- We will need an explicit “letter of intent” from the priest who will be officiating at your wedding as well as an explicit “letter of intent” from the priest who will be preparing you for matrimony (it may be the same priest, of course), outlining the components of marriage preparation which he will cover in his visits with you.
- A completed contract is to be returned with your letter(s) of intent and one-half of the offering, for the use of the Cathedral parish location selected.
Tentative Reservations Are Not Accepted
Your Wedding date is not secure until you have received a written verification
from the Cathedral Parish Office.
Wedding Contract
Once you have gone over all your prospective dates with your parish priest please email Arla Sexton at cathedralsecretary@gmail.com or call 904-824-2806 ext. 301 to see if your dates are available.
God Bless you in this special time of grace.
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