Church Problems

Please excuse me - but I have to vent. For me, the most important thing is the wedding ceremony. In my mind, I have pictured a beautiful Catholic ceremony.

So last year, when we got engaged we booked our church. Well here it is a year later. and I do not have any confirmation on which priest will conduct the ceremony nor do I know which cantor will sing at the ceremony.

The priest I wanted to conduct the ceremony has left our parish. He said that he may be able to still perform the wedding if he has an opening in his schedule. I have been trying to reach him for three weeks now, with no success.

As for the music, I met with the music coodinator two weeks ago. However, the music coordinator is leaving in September and there will be someone new. So they can not confirm things now. They can also not tell me who will sing at the weddding. I have requested a cantor whose voice I love - but they give no guarantees. We have to use one of their cantors, who sing on a rotating schedule. I do not like the voices of some of the cantors and it scares me not to be able to confirm the cantor.

So I am so frustrated!!! To me the ceremony is paramount - but it is turning in to something I have no control over.

Yesterday, I submitted the text for my invitations - it scares me to list my Church when I am so unsure of the whole ceremony. Help!

Re: Church Problems

I completely sympathsize. My church is more accomadating than yours but I find their nonchalant attitude to be discerning. But there isn't much I can do about it so I have to deal.

Re: Church Problems

I feel your pain. You would think that the easiest thing to work with would be the church, but it is quite the opposite. My current struggle is that now my church is telling me that they will only do a rehearsal on thursday nights. My wedding is a sunday and nearly everyone (including myself, FH and all is family) are from out of town and most won't be in town until Friday. The priest seemed not to care about accomodating us...so we may not be having a rehearsal since most of the key players won't even be in town yet!

Re: Church Problems

We had the same problem. Actually, we had much more of a problem. We found out a month before that our priest was one who was being investigated for alleged sexual abuse years ago, so the only thing the parish would tell me was that 'another priest would be assigned, and I shouldn't worry.' This was 30 days before my wedding!!

I had to hold off on printing my programs because of this. However, we found out the Tuesday before my Saturday wedding who was saying our Mass. We lucked out big time, and had the most beautiful ceremony that people still talk about. It turned out wonderful in the end, better than we had ever thought!!

Keep your head up, the Church will come through!

Re: Church Problems

Jeanene,
I completely sympathize with you...I am Catholic, and to me the most important part of the day is the union of my FH and I together. I am having similar problems with my 'home-town' church (See my post 8/9). And listening to you, I didn't realize we had to 'shop-around' for a church, or for that matter, experience inconveniences like you have! I really don't get it...but everyone keeps telling me it will all work out! Best of luck...