Before getting married, a couple goes through a marriage preparation process to help them prepare for entering their vocation together through the sacrament. At Shrine, this marriage preparation is a program called Witness to Love.

The Church asks that couples have a minimum of a six month engagement, starting from when they begin their marriage preparation.

Below is the process of getting married at the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica:

 

Contact the Parish

1. Make an appointment to meet with one of the parish priests by contacting the parish office: (248) 541-4122.
2. When meeting with the priest, bring a copy of your baptismal record. This can be obtained from the parish you were baptized at. Contact the parish and ask for a new copy of your “baptismal certificate with notations.”
3. At the end of your meeting with the priest, you will be assigned a marriage preparation coordinator who will assist you during your marriage preparation course, Witness to Love.

 

Register for FOCCUS and Natural Family Planning

1. After meeting with the priest you will register for a course on Natural Family Planning and FOCCUS, a pre-marriage inventory tool.
2. You will choose a mentor couple to walk with you through your marriage preparation. This couple must be:
   • Married in the Catholic Church for at least five years
   • Attend Mass regularly
   • Be a couple you admire
3. Once a mentor couple is chosen, your wedding date can be chosen and added to the parish calendar.  

 

Meet with Marriage Preparation Coordinator

At this time, you will set up a meeting with your coordinator and make plans for regular meetings.

Convalidation

Convalidation is when a baptized Catholic, married outside of the Church, seeks to be married in a valid Catholic ceremony.

According to Canon Law, there are three requirements for a valid marriage: capacity, consent, and canonical form. "Canonical form" means that a couple must be married before a Catholic priest or deacon, with two witnesses, according to the Order of Celebrating Matrimony.

While there are many reasons a Catholic may choose to do so, a marriage before a civil official or minister of another religious tradition is not considered valid unless dispensation from canonical form has been granted. Special permission is also needed to be married outside of a Catholic's parish church.

Convalidation is not simply a "blessing" of an existing marriage; it requires a new act of consent.

Every situation is unique, and we would be happy to help you determine the appropriate steps for making your marriage valid in the eyes of the Church. Please contact [email protected] or fill out the form below. 

Annulment

An annulment, or declaration of nullity, is when a marriage thought to be valid according to Church law actually fell short of one or more of the requirements for a valid marriage. While there can be a valid civil marriage, a declaration of nullity means there was not a valid sacramental marriage.

For a Catholic marriage to be valid, it is required that:

• The spouses are free to marry
• They are capable of giving their consent to marry
• They freely exchange their consent
• In consenting to marry, they have the intention to marry for life, to be faithful to one another and be open to having and raising children
• They intend the good of each other
• Their consent is given in the presence of two witnesses and before a properly authorized Church minister.

        Exceptions to this last requirement must be approved by Church authority.

Click Here for more information on obtaining an annulment in the Archdiocese of Detroit.

There are several steps, beginning with a petition brought before a tribunal.  This process can take up to two years to complete, after which the parties are free to marry only in the Catholic Church and only if the tribunal decides in favor of nullity of the marriage. Find more information about the annulment process on the USCCB website here.

Please contact [email protected] with any questions or for assistance beginning this process.