Debbie Gallegos
208-232-1196 / [email protected]

The Sacrament of Marriage is a covenantal union in the image of the covenants between God and his people.  In this way, marriage is a union that bonds spouses together during their entire lifetime.

The sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace of the sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life. (CCC 1661)

How To Plan A Marriage At Our Parish . . . 

• Consult your parish priest, deacon or other parish minister at least  (4) months in advance of the intended date of marriage.  Our parish office phone number is 208-232-1196.  Our email address is [email protected].  Our address is 524 N 7th Ave, Pocatello, ID 83201.  The minister will help you with parish and diocesan requirements. 

• Attend a marriage preparation program.  You can get information about Catholic Engaged Encounter and other recommended or required programs from the parish minister assisting you.

• · Plan the wedding ceremony.  Begin early in the preparation process to make prayerful choices about the wedding ceremony with the help of the officiating priest or deacon.  The Catholic Rite of Marriage provides a variety of prayers and scripture readings.  Consider what you would like to share with your family and friends. Please remember to select music appropriate to this sacred ceremony. You should seek the help of the parish music director.  The parish minister assisting you can help guide you through this planning and can let you know about the diocesan regulations for weddings.

• Schedule the wedding rehearsal well in advance of the date.  Invite to the rehearsal all who have a special part in the ceremony.  Make sure that they put this on their calendar and remind them to be on time.

• Obtain a civil marriage license.  A priest or deacon cannot perform the ceremony without an Idaho marriage license.  In many jurisdictions, a marriage license is valid for only 60 days, so don’t get it too soon.  Both of you must appear in person at the county courthouse to apply for a marriage license.  At the time of application you will be asked to read a pamphlet on AIDS and to sign the statement.  The State of Idaho does not require a blood test, but you would be wise to obtain one for your personal knowledge and family records.  When you get the license, do not fill in the information.  The priest or deacon who officiated at your wedding will take care of that.  Give the license to the priest or deacon no later than the wedding rehearsal.

• Customarily, you make an offering to the parish, to music ministers, and to others who will assist you on your wedding day.

• Prepare spiritually.  Pray, read the Bible and participate in other religious activities.  The Church encourages Catholics to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a means for entering more fully onto the holy mystery of marriage.

The love in a married relationship is exemplified in the total gift of one’s self to another. It’s this self-giving and self-sacrificing love that we see in our other model of marriage, the relationship between Christ and the Church.

Marriage is based on the consent of the contracting parties, that is, on their will to give themselves, each to the other, mutually and definitively, in order to live a covenant of faithful and fruitful love. (CCC 1662)