Arranging A Wedding

All of us at St. Joseph the Worker Parish congratulate you on your decision to marry! It is our special hope that your wedding day will be a joyful and happy one. We pray that the love of Our Lord Jesus will continually bless and strengthen your love for each other all the days of your married life. Please fill out the form below to begin the information process.

Wedding Registration

Diocese of Allentown Pre-Cana Process Overview

Step 1:

As soon as you become engaged, fill out the registration form above. The Parish Office will call you to begin the marriage preparation process. You will arrange a time to meet with the pastor of the parish. You will not be able to establish a wedding date on the parish calendar until this initial meeting takes place.

Step 2:

The priest with whom you meet will provide information regarding the marriage preparation process and will direct you to register for the online marriage preparation course offered by CatholicMarriagePrep.com. The priest will also inform you of the Church sacramental documents and civil documents you are required to obtain.

Step 3:

Please register for and complete the online program at CatholicMarriagePrep.com. In addition to working through the course content, you will receive the guidance and facilitation of a certified instructor couple, who you will be paired with upon registration. The online course takes between three and twelve weeks to complete, depending on the couple. The cost of the program is $194 per couple.

Couples preparing for a second marriage should participate in the online program as well. If you have already taken Marriage Prep or have special circumstances, please contact the Office of Marriage and Natural Family Planning.

Step 4:

Engaged couples must also register for the FOCCUS Inventory Online Session. The FOCCUS Inventory should be taken online within two months of registering for a marriage preparation program. The Office of Marriage and Natural Family Planning will automatically create your FOCCUS account when you register. Each of you will be emailed an individual FOCCUS session that should be completed independently from one another. Its purpose is to facilitate open and honest communication between you as a couple.

You will have 90 days from the time of your registration to complete the FOCCUS questionnaire before it expires. The FOCCUS questionnaire should be taken at least six months prior to the wedding date (preferably within two weeks of receiving email with login and password) to allow time for proper catechesis and formation. The cost to complete the FOCCUS questionnaire is $15, due upon registration.

To register for FOCCUS in English, click here.

An additional $15 fee will be charged by FOCCUS to reactivate an expired questionnaire.

Step 5:

After completion and submission, the FOCCUS results are emailed to the priest. The priest will meet with the couple to discuss FOCCUS and to administer the Pre-nuptial Inventory.

Step 6:

Finally, to plan the wedding liturgy, the couple will meet with the priest or deacon who has been assisting them throughout the preparation process. Because the couple are the real ministers of the sacrament with the vow of their “I do”, there are certain liberties granted to them when planning the particulars of the wedding ceremony. This will include: determining with the priest or deacon if their marriage is celebrated within the celebration of Mass or not and also being invited to select the readings and hymns used for the liturgy as well as some prayers.

Step 7:

We look forward to that day when you will stand before God’s altar to exchange your vows of love and begin your lifetime of marital union.

St. Joseph the Worker Parish