If you wish to enquire about being married in Our Lady and St Charles or St Joseph’s and you live outside the parish, you are best advised to speak to your own parish priest about the Church processes which will need to be gone through. Please contact Fr Joe in Keswick (E-Mail) for further information but your own parish priest will have to be involved in any case.

There are three areas of preparation:

Church Documentation: When you have contacted us about the possibility of dates of marrying in the Catholic Church in Keswick or Cockermouth please contact your own parish priest to fill in forms,  collect documentation and obtain any necessary dispensations (Which have to come from the bishop of your Domicile). Your own parish priest will also pass on information about locally available marriage preparation courses demanded of you. The forms, once completed, will be sent through diocesan office to the parish priest in Keswick (Your clergy will know about this procedure)

Civil Documentation: You will need to register with the civil authorities in the registration district of Cockermouth and show proof that you have been resident within the district (Includes Keswick, Cockermouth and Workington). Please see the attached page for details from the Cumbria County Council Registration Service.

Immediate Preparations: for the marriage (Readings, music, flowers etc) can be done in consultation with the priest at Our Lady of the Lakes and St Charles or St Joseph’s nearer the time of the marriage - however these may well be prepared at preparation courses in your own area.

Scripture Readings for marriage Suggested by the Church - Liturgy Office - Suggested scripture readings

Civil Registration

The information below is important and taken from

“CUMBRIA and the Lakes - A Special Place for your Wedding”

(published by the Cumbria County Council Registration Service) If you have any questions about this guidance please contact the Cockermouth Register Office at the addresses below or visit the Cumbria Registration site CLICK.

“Giving Notice”

“The main requirement is for the couple to give notice. Giving notice, or notice of intent, means making a legal declaration that you are both free to marry each other, and you will need to provide certain documents when doing so.

Although you may have a civil wedding in any district within England and Wales, you must give notice to the Registrar in the district where you live.

When you wish to give formal notice you will need to make an appointment at the appropriate office and it will take approximately half an hour to an hour to complete.

The Registrar will ask questions about you and your partner. These questions include things like your full names, addresses, dates of birth, whether you have been married before, your occupation and your nationalities.

When you attend your appointment you and your partner will need to provide information such as proof of age, identity, nationality and evidence you are free to marry. We will also need to see two documents that prove your identity - your birth certificate, together with your passport or driving licence, as well as a document proving your address such as a bank statement or utilities bill. If either of you have been married before you will need documents to show your last marriage has legally ended.

All documents must be originals. Photocopies cannot be accepted. Any foreign documents should be accompanied by a certified English translation.

If you were born in the UK on or after 1st January 1983, and you have no passport, we will need to see evidence of the British nationality of one of your parents if they were married at the time of your birth - either a birth certificate or passport is acceptable proof.

If your parents were married and your mother was not British then we also need to see their marriage certificate. If your parents were not married at the time of your birth you must provide documents from your mother from whom your nationality would be taken.

If either of you are under 18, the Registrar will give you forms that you must be completed by a parent or legal guardian.

Whilst you can book your wedding ceremony more than a year in advance, your notice of intent to marry can only be completed within one year of the wedding and no later than 17 days prior to the ceremony. Once the formal notice of intent has been completed, the document will be publicly displayed at the Register Office for 15 clear days. This does not include the day you gave notice or the earliest day on which you can be married.

However, for administrative purposes we recommend you allow a minimum of 6 weeks. The minimum period between giving notice and getting married must be 17 clear days.

The bride and groom must both give notice and this must be done in person at the appropriate Register Office. In general, notice must be given in the district where you live. If both bride and groom live in the same district a joint appointment should be made with your local office. If you live in separate districts, but still within England or Wales then you should make individual appointments with your local Register Office, if possible around the same date.

You must be resident in the district where you give notice for the preceding eight days prior to the appointment.

If you wish to get married in a district where you do not live, you will need to contact both the venue and the Registrar of that district to make arrangements, and agree the date and time of your ceremony. Once you have done this you can then give your notice to marry to the Registrar in the district where you live.

The Registrar will tell you when your marriage authority has been issued. If you are marrying in another district, you will need to take, or have delivered, the certificate to the appropriate district before your wedding day.

Please be aware that some special conditions may apply in the following cases:

• · · either party is not a British Citizen
• · · if the marriage is to take place outside of England or Wales
• · · or, if either party is resident outside of England or Wales.

Also, if you wish to get married and either the bride or groom is seriously ill or has a life limiting condition please contact the Register Officer in the district where you wish to get married as soon as you can.

Most importantly, please note that it is your responsibility to arrange the following:

· To book any approved venue and arrange the details of the day

· To ensure that the legal formalities are completed, and that you have obtained the necessary authorities (and delivered them to the Registrar) before your ceremony”

IF IN ANY DOUBT PLEASE PHONE THE REGISTRAR

Please note: (November 2011) There are due to be changes in the registration system in Cumbria from December 2011 -

However these changes have not yet been revealed so please keep an eye on the Cumbria Registration web site!