The parishioners and staff of St. Agatha Parish offer our faith-filled congratulations on your engagement. This is a very exciting time in your lives and in those of your family. This information guide has been prepared to familiarize you with some guidelines for planning your wedding liturgy. A guiding principle in planning your wedding is to remind yourselves that you are celebrating a sacrament, a sign of God’s love. It is your faith-filled and loving presence to each other in marriage, celebrated in the presence of God, family and friends.  At any time, please feel free to contact the priest or deacon assigned to your wedding with questions not addressed in this information guide.

General Information
Generally, you will meet with the priest or deacon three times. This number will increase or decrease depending upon the circumstances of your wedding. Much of what is contained here will be covered in those meetings.

Wedding Times
One of the first things you will want to do is determine a date and time for your wedding.  This is done with the priest or deacon who will be officiating at your wedding. 

Currently, weddings are scheduled as follows:
    Saturday  — no later than 2:00 pm
                      — at 6:00 pm
                      — no more than two weddings scheduled on any Saturday

    Sunday    — times and dates are available as long as they don’t conflict
                          with the 1:00 pm baptisms held twice a month.
                     — usually 1:30 pm or 3:00 pm
                     — only one wedding scheduled on any Sunday

Other days and times, such as Friday evening, should be discussed with the priest or deacon well in advance to ensure that there are no conflicts with other events here at St. Agatha Parish.  Once you have scheduled your wedding, if you need to change the date and/or time of your wedding, you must contact the priest or deacon officiating at your wedding.

Documents
Church Documents

For Catholics a recent baptismal record not more than six months old. This can be obtained by contacting the church of your baptism and requesting that a long-form copy of your baptismal record be sent to St. Agatha Parish to the attention of the priest or deacon officiating at your wedding.

If you have received the sacrament of confirmation, we will need a copy (again, less than six months old) sent as well.

Preliminary Interrogatory - This is a form that establishes your freedom to marry (not as scary as it sounds). These are filled out in the presence of the priest or deacon. In addition to establishing freedom to marry, this document asks that you clearly understand the following: the Church’s teaching that marriage is a sacrament; that you intend the marriage to be for the rest of your lives, and that you mutually exchange the right to have children with your future spouse.

Civil Documents

Marriage license—This can be obtained from any town/city hall in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Call the town clerk before you go to make sure you have everything that they will need. The license is good for 60 days.

If you have a visiting priest officiating at your wedding who is from outside the state, he will need written permission from the Secretary of State of Massachusetts. Ask the priest or deacon at St. Agatha parish how to go about obtaining this permission.

Marriage Preparation
Couples preparing for marriage are required to attend some form of marriage preparation and instruction beyond the meetings with the priest or deacon. All parishes and retreat centers are to use Transformed in Love marriage preparation resources to prepare engaged couples in the Archdiocese of Boston.

Music
Music plays an important role in setting a prayerful and uplifting atmosphere for your wedding.  We are proud of the music at St. Agatha Parish—made possible because of the professional, reverent quality and skill of our music staff. Our music director, Mrs. Julie Fay, will assist you with planning the music for your wedding. Julie may be contacted at 617-698-2439 extension 117, or by emailing: [email protected].

The Worship Environment
Flowers/Bows/Aisle Runners
You are welcome to decorate the inside of the church and sanctuary with floral arrangements and place bows/flowers on the pews. Keep in mind that the church is a house of worship, and any and all arrangements or decorations should be respectful of its sacredness. During the seasons of Christmas and Easter there will be decorations/flowers appropriate to the season inside the church. These should be factored into your decorating plans. They are not to be removed for a wedding.

Due to safety concerns, aisle runners are not allowed. The runner often becomes tangled and twisted on the floor, and thus becomes a safety hazard for those in attendance, especially the bride! The use of runners dates back to a time when church floors were ‘dirt’ floors. 

Confetti/Rice/Birdseed/Flower Petals
We ask that you and your guests not use these items or others similar to them. The use of these items could cause someone to slip and fall. Additionally, the amount of labor required to pick these items up from the floor of the church is extensive.

Candles
For safety reasons, candles are not allowed in the main body of the church. Questions often arise about the use a unity candle. There is nothing in the marriage rite that calls for this candle. Couples wishing to have one should consider having one at the reception.

Photographers/Videographers
Photographers and videographers are welcome to take pictures and/or videos inside the church. Most of them are experienced with filming weddings. Please be sure that they check in with the priest or deacon officiating at your wedding so that any questions about where he/she can or cannot go are worked out ahead of time. To help maintain the sacredness of the Mass or ceremony, they are never permitted to be in the sanctuary of the church.

Wedding Rehearsal
Rehearsals are usually held on the Thursday or Friday before the wedding. The scheduling of a rehearsal date and time is usually completed at the same time that the wedding itself is scheduled. If not, it can be done by calling the parish rectory office (617-698-2439). In addition to all of the people involved (best man, maid/matron of honor, groomsmen, bridesmaids, readers, ushers, etc.), you will need to bring the license, the Together for Life information sheet, the offering for the church, and copies of the readings to the rehearsal. Mary Lou Lovett is our rehearsal coordinator. She can be contacted at: [email protected]

Offering
Effective January 1, 2025, the Wedding fee is $1,500.  If you make the offering by check, the check should be made out to “St. Agatha Parish.”  This fee includes the offering for the Parish, the organist, the cantor, consultation with the Music Director and Organist prior to the wedding, altar server, and wedding coordinator for the rehearsal and day of wedding.

It is not possible to answer every question you have now, or will have, as the time for your wedding approaches. The priest or deacon officiating at your wedding will always be more than happy to answer your questions as they inevitably arise.

For more details and to set up a meeting with one of our priests or deacons, please click here to complete an inquiry form.

May God Bless You as you prepare for this beautiful Sacrament!