Congratulations on your decision to marry! In asking to celebrate your marriage in the Catholic Church, you will be asked to enter into a marriage preparation process that will help you and your future spouse to celebrate your commitment to each other and your commitment as a couple to Christ.  Prior to your ceremony, therefore, we ask that you attend mass together in order that you and your future spouse deepen your relationship not only with Christ but also with the worshiping community and the priests of this parish.  Our goal is to help you prepare not just for your wedding day but for your life as husband and wife.

A good place to start to learn about Marriage in the Catholic Church is our Diocesan website.  You can find out about Engaged Encounter classes in the San Jose Diosese here, and also here (Vallembrosa, Menlo Park).  Information on Natural Family Planning classes can be found here.

Another good resource on Marriage in the Catholic Church can be found here.

Today there are many interfaith marriages, i.e., you or your future spouse may be from a different religious tradition. The person who is not Catholic does not need to convert prior to marriage; however, we ask that he or she enter into the marriage preparation process as a way of supporting the Catholic partner and of strengthening the marriage bond.

Because of the need to prepare carefully, without the pressure of other preparations for your wedding day, there is a need for you to contact a priest at least six months before the proposed date of your wedding.  At that time, he will give you some direction about the marriage preparation process.  No date for the wedding will be set until a priest or deacon has confirmed that he will a) be responsible for the marriage preparation process and b) witness (preside at) your wedding.  If you would like Fr. Estanislao Mikalonis, the pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, or any of our other priests officiate at your wedding, please call our Pastoral Center, 650-494-2496 and make an appointment to meet with one of them.

Click on the sections below that to learn more about being married in St. Thomas Aquinas Parish, or download the whole pdf booklet for information about the process of preparation for marriage as well as some specific parish policies concerning the marriage ceremony. 

WEDDING BOOKLET

Other informational documents:
Notes for Florists
Notes for Photographers
Helpful Wedding Checklist
Wedding Documents Checklist

To learn more about preparation to receive the sacrament of Marriage, or to schedule a meeting with our pastor, contact Patricia Cruzet ([email protected]).  Generally six months advance notice is required for all weddings.