Weddings Fr. Felino Letter

St. Edward, St. George, St. Paul and St. Peter Parishes

Dear Friends,

      As the pastor of the regional parishes of South Seattle, I want you to know that I share your joy as you begin making plans for your wedding. What you are preparing for is of greatest importance to both of you as well as to your families and friends. It is important to me, too, and to the members of our parish, as well as to the larger community of faith we call the Catholic Church. In many ways we are all in this together.

      In choosing to come to the Catholic Church for the celebration of your wedding, you have made a choice to begin and to live your marriage in a Christian manner: to see your wedding as more than just a wonderful social event but as something which gets its deepest meaning from our Christian faith. Because of this, it should not be surprising to you that the Church has some very definite expectations about how your wedding liturgy will be celebrated. These expectations are not arbitrary impositions intended to add to the already considerable challenges of planning for a wedding. They are, rather, the Church’s (and in this case, the regional parishes of South Seattle’s) way of doing things; our way of helping you to set the tone for the celebration of an event that is of the greatest importance in your lives.

      The members of the regional staff and priests stand ready to help you celebrate your wedding. We are eager to do everything possible to see to it that your wedding will be a beautiful and faith-filled celebration – a powerful and persuasive sign of Jesus’ love for His people. That’s a large order, and one not easily achieved without a good deal of careful and prayerful planning.

      As you read the following guidelines and procedures, I hope you will keep these things in mind. Please call me at (206) 722-7888, ext. 119 after you have read the enclosed guidelines for an appointment to proceed with your marriage preparation. The priests of this cluster look forward with you to the day of your wedding with prayer and great anticipation.

In Christ,