Our Lady of the Cape

Wedding Information, Guidelines  and Policies

Congratulations on your recent engagement! 

Welcome – we are excited and honored to help you prepare for this important step in your relationship and spiritual lives and to host your Sacrament of Marriage making this most important occasion in your lives sacred, solemn and celebratory! Weddings are scheduled at least nine months prior to the wedding date.

We celebrate weddings at both Our Lady of the Cape Church, Brewster and Immaculate Conception Chapel, E. Brewster. For more information about the worship sites please go to Worship Sites for locations and pictures.

Marriage preparation involves several meetings to prepare for the Sacrament of Marriage and your Wedding Day. A couple is expected to be able to meet in person or via Zoom with the priest/deacon for these meetings. 

Please check with the church first before you secure your reception venue as our wedding calendar fills in quickly!  We are an active parish and unlike wedding venues, have many liturgical events throughout the year that need to be managed on our calendar.

Detailed guidelines for marriage preparation and wedding ceremonies are included below.  The full document “Wedding Information, Guidelines and Policies” can be accessed via the link (choose placement on website).  Please share our policies with friends and family members who are helping you plan your wedding.  

Please contact Diane Rinkacs, Director of Faith Formation and Pastoral Ministry at drinkacsolc@gmail.com or (508) 382-3252 x14 for general information.

How to Secure a Wedding Date:

1. Fill out the attached google form Wedding Information Form
2. Contact Diane Rinkacs (information above) by phone or email that you have completed the form and to ask date availability.
3. Meet with our Pastor.  Once we have received your form and the information is in good order you may contact our Pastor,  Fr. Joe Everton to schedule a meeting at frjoeolc@gmail.com.  At this meeting Fr. Joe will discuss the process and to determine that you are free to marry.
4. A date can be secured once the couple is determined free to marry. For couples who do not belong to Our Lady of the Cape, you will be asked to secure a letter of permission from your home parish to marry at Our Lady of the Cape. 

 

Who may celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage at

Our Lady of the Cape Parish?

 

We welcome couples who understand Christian Marriage to be a sacrament and would therefore wish to have their marriage celebrated according to the rites of the Roman Catholic Church. At least one of the parties should be a committed Catholic. Both parties should be free to marry in accord with the norms of Canon Law; i.e., neither party should have been married before. However, if one or both have been in prior marriages, those Marriages need to have been declared null and void by a Church Tribunal. 

We welcome non-parishioners to have their weddings at Our Lady of the Cape, but please see the process for non-parishioners set out below.  Although you may summer nearby, your home parish would be where you reside full-time. Non-parishioners will need a letter of permission from their home parish to marry at Our Lady of the Cape. This will be discussed at your initial meeting with our clergy.

What is the offering to the parish?

The offering is $1500 for the Church or Chapel.  A payment of $750 due to secure the date and $750 is due one month prior to the date.  You can, of course, pay the full amount at the initial meeting. 

Please note: this fee does not include musicians, cantors or organists or gifts to clergy members.

Where and when are weddings held? 

We have two worship locations in our parish. Please use the link  Worship Sites for more information about each location.

Church Worship Site                                                                                    Chapel Worship Site
Our Lady of the Cape Church                                                                          Immaculate Conception Chapel
468 Stony Brook Road                                                                                      2580 Main Street (Route 6-A)

Please note that the Sacramental Wedding and Civil Wedding are the same date.  Your marriage license will be signed by the officiating clergy member on your Sacramental Wedding date.

 

Wedding Availability

 

	Weekdays including Fridays	Saturday	Sundays*
CHURCH	2:00 – 5:00 PM	11:00 AM– 2:00 PM	1:00 PM
CHAPEL	2:00 – 5:00 PM	11:00 AM– 3:00 PM	1:00 PM

There can only be one wedding at each location per day.

*Please note – the readings for Sunday weddings are the readers for that particular Sunday  and cannot be changed to alternate readings.

 

What is the Marriage Preparation Process?

Our Lady of the Cape – Home Parish

1. If you are a local full-time resident and Our Lady of the Cape is your home parish then complete the following steps.
2. Schedule a meeting with your assigned clergy member.
3. Visit the Marriage Information on the Diocese of Fall River website, Office of Family Life. Register at  Marriage Preparation  for the “At the Table Sessions” that are most convenient for you. The link also has information about the preparation process.
4. Complete your Marriage Preparation and collect all the required documents (see complete details below)

 Non-parishioners

1. Please contact your local parish to set up an appointment to meet with the pastor.  As a non-parishioner your Marriage Preparation must be completed by your local priest.  The local priest will gather all the necessary documents for a “Marriage Preparation Package”.  This package must be at the Diocese of Fall River Tribunal Office; 887 Highland Avenue; Fall River, MA 02720-3820, 6 weeks prior to your wedding date. 
2. Once a clergy member is assigned from OLC to your wedding, the clergy will reach out to set up a meeting to make sure your plans are in place. 
3. Complete your Marriage Preparation and collect all the required documents (see complete details below)

Documents required for Marriage Preparation 

These documents are gathered by clergy doing marriage prep and are compiled into one packet. Please do not send the documents to Our Lady of the Cape if you are completing your marriage with your local parish.

• Baptismal Certificate: This cannot be the original copy. It needs to be a copy dated within six months of your intended wedding.
• Testimonies: Non-Catholics need to provide 2 (two) Testimonies of Free Status. See priest for the forms. Non-Catholic Christians also must provide a copy of their Baptismal Certificate.
• Pre-Cana Certificate: You need to complete Pre-Cana seminar with Fall River Diocese, MA or the Diocese of your residence.
• FOCCUS: This Psychological Inventory needs to be completed with your priest or deacon.
• Marriage License: Prior to wedding rehearsal, you must provide the priest who will be officiating at your wedding with a marriage license from the State of Massachusetts. The priest or deacon cannot perform the wedding without a valid license. You can obtain a license from any town in Massachusetts.

• Letter of Permission: Those who are not members or local full-time residents of Our Lady of the Cape Parish must obtain a letter of permission from their pastor to be married in this parish.

Once a Wedding  date is secured:

1. Complete your marriage preparation – please see the separate instructions for parishioners and non-parishioners.
2. Schedule your rehearsal with your assigned clergy member.
3. Contact our Director of Music, Kyle Davis, to discuss music preferences. Contact info: 203-733-4512. Email: krd619@gmail.com.
4. Schedule a meeting with your assigned clergy member to go over your ceremony.
5. Two months prior to the wedding date – make sure your marriage file is complete.
6. The reading selections are complete and received by the celebrant.
7. The music selections are complete and received by Kyle Davis.
8. The Marriage License is given to the celebrant at least 2 weeks prior to your wedding date.
9. The second deposit has been received by our parish office at least one month prior to your wedding date.

 

The Wedding Ceremony

Guest Priests

If you are having a clergy-friend or relative perform your wedding, who lives out of state, the priest or deacon must obtain an “Out-of- State Clergy License” from the office of the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Commissions Section, Room 1719, One Ashburton Place, Boston, MA 02108. He also needs to present a “Letter of Suitability ” from his Bishop or Religious Superior. Guest priests celebrating the wedding should be present for the rehearsal. 

Ecumenical Weddings

When a Catholic marries a non-Catholic, this is called an Ecumenical Wedding. We do not recommend that such weddings be celebrated within the context of a Mass because the non-Catholic spouse will not be able to receive Communion during the Mass.

Readers

For your wedding, you should have three readers:

1. one for the Old Testament reading
2. one for the New Testament reading
3. one for the Prayer of the Faithful.

The readers should be given the text well in advance of the wedding. They should be present for the rehearsal to practice the reading

“Together for Life” published by Ave Maria Press is a resource for planning your Wedding Ceremony.  It can be ordered through Amazon or https://togetherforlifeonline.com/.  The Online site has a variety of resources to help plan your Wedding. 

Rehearsals

Rehearsals are a necessary requirement for the Sacrament of Marriage and are scheduled with the celebrant. They are typically in the afternoon, the day before the Wedding Ceremony. Guest priests celebrating the wedding should be present for the rehearsal. The rehearsal is scheduled with your assigned clergy member.

Witnesses

You must have two witnesses (customarily a Maid/Matron of Honor and a Best Man). One of them needs to be a practicing Catholic. Chairs are provided for the bride, groom and two witnesses in the sanctuary so that they may be comfortable, relaxed and enjoy their wedding ceremony.

Photography and Videos

Photos and videos are permitted inside the Church, but photographers are not permitted within the sanctuary. Do not encourage your guests to take photos inside of the Church. Professional photographers are usually “discreet”. Photographers should not obstruct the procession or the recessional. It is your responsibility to advise your photographer. If you are having a videographer as well, he/she should be in a stationary position — video camera on a tripod. Artificial lighting must be discreet. Once again, the religious ceremony should be centered on the bride, the groom and on the liturgy.

Punctuality

You must make every effort to begin your rehearsal and wedding on time! We have a very busy parish with multiple events happening on all days of the week.  On Saturday we have the regular weekend liturgies which begin at 4:00PM in the Church and 5:00 in the Chapel, and Confessions are at 3:15PM.  

Please advise your transportation company to check the church/chapel locations and to allow for weekend seasonal traffic. 

Decorations and Florist Information

Church Decorations

You may decorate the Church with flowers and put bows on the pews as long as you do not tape anything to the wood.  Floral pieces placed in the sanctuary are offerings and should not be removed after the ceremony. 

Pew decorations may not be receptacles containing water. Pew decorations and all other decorations (except for pieces placed in the sanctuary) need to be removed immediately after the wedding before the next Mass. If the wedding takes place during the Christmas or Easter Season, the church flower displays cannot be moved. During the Lenten season there are no flowers placed in the sanctuary.

NO “THROWS”… NO ALCOHOL

Please notify your guests that there can be no throwing of confetti, rice, birdseed, flower petals or flowers inside or outside of the Church. This is not only difficult to clean up, but can also be dangerous for the environment including birds and small animals.

Please notify your guests that there is a no alcohol policy on the Church and Chapel properties. Please refrain from alcohol consumption before the wedding. Please alert your guest to refrain from drinking alcohol and disposing of trash on church grounds.

Seating Capacity 

Our Lady of the Cape Church – 850 total capacity
Pews Main Section 12 Rows, aisle, 7 rows (front to back)

Immaculate Conception Chapel – 250 (Center section — 80)
Pews Main Section 10 rows
The Chapel is an older building without the amenities of large restrooms and waiting area for the bride/bridesmaids.

White Aisle Runners are NOT permitted at either location for safety reasons as they are a tripping hazard.

Music Selections

The Music (selections and musicians) is managed by Kyle Davis, the Liturgy and Music Director of the Parish. Contact info: 203-733-4512. Email: krd619@gmail.com.   All questions about the choices of music and musicians as well as hiring musicians for your wedding must be addressed to Kyle Davis.

The choices of music must be appropriate and in accordance with Diocese of Fall River s liturgical guidelines. NOT permitted under any circumstances is pre- recorded music, or secular non-religious music (e.g. popular love songs, themes from movies, pop/rock music, operas, etc.). These songs are more appropriate at your wedding reception.

It is strongly recommended that you have an organist/pianist and a singer for your wedding to enhance your ceremony. Please make music arrangements directly with Kyle Davis, the Director of Music.