St. Mary/St. Patrick Parish requires that you be a registered parishioner of our church for at least six-months before making your wedding plans. The Rockford Diocese requires a six-month preparation period for all couples contemplating marriage. If you are a parishioner, your six-month preparation period begins from the first visit with the parish priest. If you are not a parishioner, the preparation period will be one year from the date you register and meet with the parish priest.
To schedule a wedding, please call the Parish Office, 815-248-2490. No final wedding date can be guaranteed by phone and couples must meet with the Pastor and participate in the assessment and instructional process.
Not Married in the Church Many times when the pastor reads over the registration forms of the parish, he notices that a marriage did not take place in the Catholic Church. Perhaps there is no reason why the marriage could not be celebrated (validated) in the Church. Maybe there was a former marriage and an annulment process needs to be started. Our pastor would like you to know that he would be more than happy to discuss any marriage situation and help people work towards the validation of a marriage in the Catholic Church.