Marriage

If you find yourself on this page of our website because you are recently engaged, CONGRATULATIONS!   

“The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament” (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1601).

Marriage is so precious and powerful – reflecting God’s unconditional love for us.  We believe that marriages are stronger with God than without him and that the Church has thousands of years of wisdom to share with couples.  We want to help you build an amazing marriage.  To that end we offer an excellent Marriage Preparation process, using the “Better Together” program produced by Dynamic Catholic.  

Engaged couples who wish to be married at St. Bridget or St. Anne’s Chapel at Villa Academy by Fr. Bill Heric are asked to schedule an initial appointment with him at least nine months before their planned wedding date.

At St. Bridget, we celebrate weddings for members of our parish family and their children.

In addition to meeting with Fr. Bill Heric, engaged couples are required to attend a Marriage Preparation weekend.  Marriage Preparation retreats for engaged couples are offered through CEES - Catholic Engaged Encounter of Seattle (www.ceeseattle.org) and the Palisades Retreat Center (www.palisadesretreatcenter.org).  These organizations handle all the registration, scheduling, and presentation details for their own retreats.  Therefore, we ask couples to contact CEES or the Palisades directly with any questions they may have regarding these weekends.  Because space is limited for Marriage Preparation retreats, we highly recommend that you register several months in advance.

Engaged couples must also complete a Pre-Cana inventory and paperwork pertaining to their "freedom to marry."  This is usually done through a couple's home parish or by the officiating priest.  For questions regarding marriage paperwork and sacramental requirements. please contact Fr. William Heric at [email protected] or 206.523.8787 ext. 207.