"Take this ring,  in the name of the Father,  and the Son, and the Holy Spirit."   Reaching out in love promising fidelity two now as one   Contact: Liturgy Office 630.355.4545 ext 125 The Diocese of Joliet requires an engagement period of at least six months before the date of the wedding and attendance at a marriage-preparation program. St. Raphael requires either the bride, the groom or the parents of either to be registered as a parishioner for at least three months before contacting us to set a date. Also required of the couple are completion of a FOCCUS questionnaire and attendance at a planning workshop for the wedding Mass/ceremony. For more information about celebrating a wedding at St. Raphael, please read the Wedding Guidelines . "The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament." (Code of Canon Law, can. 1055 §1; cf. Gaudium et Spes 48 §1.)  * Photograph used with permission from Kramer Photographers. Stop by room 162 and view the originals.