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Dear Friends in Christ,
One of the significant moments in life that becomes more apparent this time of year is couples preparing to get married. Our family is looking forward to that for my nephew Mitch and his fiancée, Riley, who will marry this April in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. For several reasons tied to their desired location, they will initially marry in a civil ceremony and then have their marriage blessed in the church later.
The Archdiocese of Seattle now has a policy allowing couples to request permission to celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage outside a church setting. In a church is still the ideal, of course, but for some couples, there is a desire to celebrate their wedding in one of the many beautiful natural settings in our Northwest region. There are conditions for granting this permission. The couple still needs to go through the normal parish marriage prep process, and their wedding must be witnessed by a priest or deacon. The wedding location must be an appropriate space. This excludes places such as bars, casinos, theme parks, or boats. Finally, the wedding cannot be part of a full Mass.
Congratulations to all those engaged to be married in our NE Seattle Catholic Community. For more information regarding options about the place of your wedding, please go to the following link: In.nwcatholic.org/weddingpolicy.
Blessings of peace,
Fr. William Heric, Pastor