1) A Baptismal certificate issued within SIX MONTHS of the date of the wedding is required for each of the two parties. If one of the parties is not baptized, then a dispensation from “DISPARITY OF CULT” is needed.
2) A Baptismal certificate older then six months should be returned to the Parish of Baptism for an endorsement. A recently issued Baptismal certificate or one that has been recently endorsed is proof of “freedom to marry” in the Catholic Church.
3) Pre-nuptial enquiry forms are to be filled out by the proper Pastor of either the bride or the groom.
4) Any necessary dispensations are to be granted by the Ordinary of the place, where the two parties to the marriage usually reside.
5) A written statement from the priest preparing the couple for marriage is to be submitted, to the effect that both of them have received “instructions” on the nature, the duties and the obligations of marriage, e.g. the Engaged Couples' Encounter.
6) LITTERAE TESTIMONIALES of the Ordinary of the place where the couple reside is necessary. By this official document the Bishop in question certifies that he is satisfied that the proper procedure has been followed according to Church law and that he has No objection to the marriage taking place outside his jurisdiction.
7) All these documents are then to be forwarded to the Bishop of Saint John’s Basseterre or the Judicial Vicar for his NIHIL OBSTAT. Having seen all the marriage documents pertinent to the marriage and being satisfied that everything is in order, the Bishop of Saint John’s, Basseterre gives his written permission for the wedding to take place within the Diocese.
8) The wedding for which permission is given MUST, in normal circumstances, to preserve the FORM of the marriage, be celebrated before a priest and TWO witnesses and in a Catholic Church that is registered for marriages. Because the place of the wedding is a Church, we ask that proper respect and decorum be insisted upon. The couple should be warned about extravagance of dress for the wedding; lavish decorations should be discouraged and photo-cameras and video cameras should be restricted in order not to take away from the religious atmosphere of the ceremony.
9) The civil requirements for marriage according to the law of the land must be observed!
10) The marriage must be REGISTERED with the civil registrar of marriages.
11) The marriage must be noted in the parochial marriage register.
12) Notification that the marriage has taken place MUST be forwarded to the parish where the bride and the groom were baptized for inclusion in the baptismal registers.
13) All documents pertaining to the marriage in question must first be sent to the couple’s local Bishop who, in turn, will then forward them to:
Bishop of Saint John’s, Basseterre, Church Street, P.O. Box 836, Saint John’s, Antigua, West Indies.
