Matrimony

Congratulations!
You are here because you are exploring the possibility of having your wedding at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Walsingham (OLW), Cathedral Parish of the Ordinariate of the Chair of Saint Peter.  The Ordinariate, which functions like a diocese, worships using Divine Worship and has a mission of offering to our separated brethren a vehicle for entering the Catholic Church.  The order of Mass is clearly and recognizably a form of the Roman Rite (the Ordinariate Form) yet traditionally Anglican in character, content, and structure.  All Catholics may fulfill their Sunday obligation at our Masses, and it is the Divine Worship Liturgy which is utilized at Nuptial Masses.

If either one of you are not parishioners here at OLW, you will need to begin by obtaining a letter/s of permission to marry outside your current parish from your pastor/s.  If one of the parties is not Catholic, he or she would not need this letter of permission.  You would bring along this letter(s) to your first meeting here.

Next, as a Cathedral and the seat of Bishop Steven J. Lopes, we assess a $1500 building fee for weddings.  Additionally, there is a $1000 damage/surety deposit, which can be refundable, after the wedding, under conditions that we would discuss.

There is a required six months notice to schedule a wedding date.  We can talk about the specific dates you have requested, if you decide to proceed with your inquiry. To continue with our policies, for Saturday weddings we offer ceremonies which begin in the morning until 1:00 or at 7:00 pm.  We do not schedule Saturday afternoon weddings to avoid conflicts with our Saturday Anticipated Mass.  We are also able to accommodate weekday weddings.

In order to secure your own date, you must first meet with a member of our clergy. Following this, you will meet with Rebecca Hill, the Wedding Director.   Prior to the completion of these meetings, we cannot reserve your desired wedding date on our calendar.

Finally, there is lots of paperwork to complete when one desires to marry!  We are a very active Cathedral; so it will be very important for you to "help us help you" by your completing your marriage preparation (FOCCUS test, Engaged Encounter, and three NFP informational meetings) in a timely manner, as well as gathering your certificates of sacraments received (Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation).

It's a lot of information to take in!  If the above is agreeable to you and you would like to move forward, please fill out the wedding inquiry form below to begin this process.