Of the seven sacraments in the Catholic faith, the sacrament of Marriage is the one celebrated by two people as equals, committing themselves to each other. While a priest is present as celebrant, it is not he who marries the couple. Therefore, the question, “who married them?” or the statement, “they were married by Fr. X” is not accurate. While the other sacraments are conferred on us by a priest or a bishop, marriage is conferred on the two parties by themselves. They give themselves to each other by the taking of vows, whereby they promise to commit themselves to the other for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, all the days of their lives. The exchange of their wedding rings is a visible sign of the commitment which they have made. The celebration of a wedding doesn’t just happen; much preparation goes into the day. In the catholic tradition this involves the couple meeting with their local priest in order to reflect on the meaning of marriage in the Christian context, as well as attending to the  practicalities of the celebration.

There are a number of considerations for those wishing to get married in our parish:

• Please contact the parish before confirming a venue for your reception. This avoids

any disappointment if either the priest or your church is unavailable.

• Your wedding is only confirmed on receipt of a completed booking form. This form

contains all the relevant information and answers many of the questions which you might have.

• Weddings take place at 1.00pm Monday to Saturday. This allows for a funeral to be

celebrated at its usual time of 11.00am, and is particularly relevant when there is just one priest in the parish.

• Weddings are not permitted in the Diocese of Clogher on Sundays or on Holydays of

Obligation (including St. Patrick’s Day, the Easter Triduum, Easter Sunday or Christmas Day).

As a parish, we rejoice with you on your decision to get married in the Church and we endeavour to support you as you look ahead to your day.