Frequently Asked Questions: Religion

On Friday, June 24th William and I will be celebrating the end of a beautiful courtship and the beginning of our lives together joined as one. The ceremony will be a Marriage Rite with Liturgy of the Word at St. James the Greater Roman Catholic Church in Saint Louis. Our faiths play an important role in both our lives, but we come from two very different back grounds, so this page is here to help all of you: our friends and family who will be sharing the day with us.

What is the importance of having your ceremony at Saint James the Greater Catholic Church?

Saint Louis city is a city blessed with a rather large Catholic community thanks to some very strong historic roots. Because of this, there was a variety of some amazing churches and parishes of which to choose from, and I highly encourage all of our guests to visit some of them (Especially the Old Saint Louis Cathedral by The Arch, Saint Louis University's St. Francis Xavier on Grand Ave., and the New Cathedral Basilica on Maryland Ave.). We chose St. James the Greater for it's simple beauty, it's history, and for the amazing community there which has been allowing us to grow as people. It is also at the heart of the 'Dogtown' neighborhood, a neighborhood that William's family called home less than a generation ago and has layed down some pretty significant roots in. It is also the parish which sponsors our city's annual community St. Patrick's day parade and festivities, thanks to it's own history as an irish-immigrant neighborhood. Today, it is a modest home to several police and fire-fighting families.

Why are you two having a Catholic Ceremony? I thought William was Lutheran?

Kathryn comes from a fairly devout Roman Catholic family who has made the wish that her marriage to William be recognized by the Roman Catholic Church. And honestly? Who wouldn't want to get married in some of these amazing beautiful churches anyway?

Our intention, however, is that both of our backgrounds be honored on this very special and sacramental day. William grew up an active member of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches of America, and has an equal love of his church as Kathryn does. Because of this, we hope that there will also be a Lutheran presence in attendance to pray with us and bless our marriage.

Is William Converting to Catholism?

The answer to this is No. William will not be converting to Catholicism, nor is Kathryn going to make him, Ever. (Unless that is something he chooses)

While Religion is important to both of us, it is also important that we each maintain the religious identity that we each grew up with, and acknowledge our personal roots. Luckily, our chosen denominations share so many beautiful and similar beliefs and rituals, which we hope to emphasize and one day share respectfully with any future children.

We both believe that the heart of our Faith is Christ, who was born of the Virgin Mary, then suffered for our sins, died, and was buried before rising from the dead on the Third day. Beyond that, the details of our religious beliefs are unimportant compared to the miracle of Christ's Extreme Love for his people.

Is there going to be a full Nuptial Mass?

No. Because only one of us is Roman Catholic, the Nuptial Mass is not allowed. Also, because less than half of our guests are of Roman Catholic background, the Celebration of the Eucharist would become a dividing element to our day rather than one which celebrates the unity of two families coming together in Love. You can expect, however, us to ask everyone to hold hands during the prayer to Our Father.