Marriage

St. Paul said: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church.... This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church" (Eph 5:25, 32).

 

The marriage covenant, by which a man and a woman form with each other an intimate communion of life and love, has been founded and endowed with its own special laws by the Creator. By its very nature it is ordered to the good of the couple, as well as to the generation and education of children. Christ the Lord raised marriage between the baptized to the dignity of a sacrament. 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 1659-1661

1. Contact the Cathedral Parish Office
   • Attend a Pre-Marriage Course
   • Check availability of your requested date
2. Report to Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN) Office
3. Fix an Interview (Pre-Nuptial Inquiry) with a Priest of the Parish
   • Come for Pre-Nuptial Inquiry during office hours
   • Submit relevant JPN and Church documents
   • Confirm Date and Time of Wedding
4. Prepare yourselves spiritually
   • Pray & go to Mass together
   • Confession
5. Come for a Wedding Rehearsal
6. Be at the Cathedral on time for your wedding

• Attend a Pre-Marriage Course preferably SIX months before your planned wedding day.  The Pre-Marriage Course Certificate is valid for TWO years only.
• Call the Cathedral Parish Office to check whether the venue and date of your intended marriage is available, preferably SIX months in advance.
• Do not print your invitation cards or fix your wedding day before consulting the Parish and clearing all Government and Church requirements. 
• All documents should be in order ONE month prior to your confirmed wedding date.  Incomplete documents may result in cancellation of your wedding booking.

St. Joseph’s Cathedral Parish Office Website: stjosephkuching.org
CATHEDRAL Office Hours	Day	Morning	Afternoon
	Monday – Friday	8 am – 12 noon	2 pm - 5 pm
	Saturday	8 am – 12 noon
	Closed on Feast Day, Holy Days of Obligation & Public Holidays
Location	Ground Floor of the Fathers’ house directly behind the Cathedral Tel.: 082-423424 Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN)
Simpang 3   Office Hours	Day	1st Session	2nd Session
	Monday – Thursday	8 am - 1 pm	2 pm - 5 pm
	Friday	8 am - 11:45 am	2:15 pm - 5 pm
	Closed on Saturdays, Sundays & Public Holidays : 082-238317 / 238320
Location	Ground Floor, Telekom Building, Jalan Simpang Tiga, 93200 Kuching
UTC   Office Hours	Saturday – Thursday	8:30 am - 6:30 pm	7:30 pm - 9 pm
	Friday	8:30 am - 11:45 pm	2:15 pm - 9 pm
	Closed on Public Holidays : 082-258221 / 237932 / 239448
Location	UTC Building, Jalan Bukit Mata Kuching , 93100 Kuching

MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE ('DAFTAR PERKAHWINAN' JPN.KC05)

There are two ways that marriages are registered with Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara. 

• To do this, go to Department of Marriage and Divorce (Bahagian Perkahwinan dan Penceraian) of the JPN Office and obtain JPN.KC02 Form.
• Fill in JPN.KC02 Form section A, B and D.2.
• Go to the Commissioner of Oath of your choice to get section D.2. endoresed. Minimal fee will be charged (RM4/-).
• Go back to JPN Office to pay RM20/-. Retain the Official Receipt (Resit Rasmi).This endorsement together with the Official Receipt is only valid for SIX months prior to your actual date of marriage.
• Fix an interview appointment with the Parish Office for both of you to meet the priest for a Pre-Nuptial Inquiry (2-6 months before your planned wedding day).
• For Pre-Nuptial Inquiry, please bring the following documents for both of you:
  • The endorsed JPN.KC02 with the Official Receipt
  • Two (2) recent passport-sized photographs
  • Two (2) photocopies of your Identity Card (both sides)
  • Two (2) photocopies of your Birth Certificate
  • Two (2) photocopies of the Identity Card (both sides) of two witnesses (male & female), both Catholics, at least 21 years of age and not immediate family members (Please write down their Baptism names) [Note: We recommend that you find a Catholic couple, who can journey with you in your married life, to be your witnesses]
  • The original extract of your Baptism Certificate from the parish of Baptism – issued within the last SIX months and with the status “FREE TO MARRY” signed by the priest of that parish.
  • A photocopy of your Confirmation Certificate.
  • A photocopy of both your Pre-Marriage Course Certificate.
  • The original Statutory Declaration from the Commanding Officer where one party to the marriage is an Army or Police Personnel who is still in active service
  • The original Statutory Declaration by the Commissioner of Oath (e.g. in cases where “status” or “religion” is inaccurate based on JPN record).
  • Divorce Petition & Certificate of Making Decree Nisi Absolute (if any party involved is a Divorcee).
• During your wedding service in the Church, the ‘DAFTAR PERKAHWINAN’ JPN.KC05 (Marriage Certificate) and a Family Record Book will be issued by the presiding priest.

 

FEES & DONATIONS
Statutory Declaration Fee (pay to Commissioner of Oath)	RM4.00
Marriage Registration Fee (pay to JPN)	RM20.00
Love offering for Wedding Blessing	RM40.00
Love offering for usage of Parish Gallery for refreshment / lunch reception	RM150.00
Love offering for usage of Cathedral’s power supply for additional lightings  for taking photos / video shooting, etc.	RM50.00
Token ofappreciation for Choir, Readers, Commentators, Altar Servers, Priest, Sacristans and those assisting in your Wedding Service	At your own discretion
Contribution to Church for use of the Cathedral / Chapel

 

1. DAYS / DATES TO AVOID (for your wedding) - All Sundays, Ash Wednesday, all Fridays during Lent, Holy Week, Easter Monday, Ascension Thursday, Assumption (15th Aug), All Saints’ Day (1st Nov), All Souls’ Day (2nd Nov) and 20th to 25th Dec. During Lent and Advent, it is recommended that weddings be celebrated in a moderate manner to maintain the spirit of the Seasons.
2. PARENTAL CONSENT (for MINORS) - If you are under 21 years old, your father (or mother, if father is deceased) must go with you to the Registrar’s Office to fill in Borang JPN.KC01B to endorse the parental consent of your marriage. For girls above 16 but below 18 years of age, permission is required from the Chief Minister through Borang JPN.KC01D.
3. MARRIAGE BANN (Notice of Marriage on Church Notice Board) - Your marriage bann will be
   displayed at the Cathedral’s notice board for a period of 1 month before your actual wedding day.

GENERAL DOs & DON’Ts IN THE CATHEDRAL

Approach the Parish Office to make arrangement for:

• Date and Time for wedding rehearsal.
• Be punctual as this is done with other couples.
• Liturgical assistance e.g. Choir, Reader, Commentator, etc.
• Flowers and Decoration.
• Booking of Parish Gallery for refreshment / lunch reception.

• The Cathedral provides sufficient copies of Rite of Marriage booklets for the common use. These booklets are NOT to be removed from the Church.
• In the event that you would like to print your own Wedding Booklet, please contact the Parish Office for a soft copy. Email your draft copy to us at <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. > Please send a hard copy to the presiding priest for vetting and approval, preferably ONE month before your planned wedding day.

• Bridal gown should ideally cover shoulders fully and should not be too revealing (e.g. low cut or bare back).  If so, a shawl is highly recommended.
• This is also applicable for bridesmaid(s), witnesses, reader(s), commentator, etc. Dressing should be appropriate and decent.

• Do not adjust the Cathedral’s in-house sound system.
• No digital projection is permitted using the Cathedral’s in-house facility.
• No confetti / flower petals are permitted inside and outside the Cathedral.

• Ensure that your appointed florist observe the following when decorating the Church.
• Respect the sacredness of the Sanctuary - the raised floor around the Altar.
• Do not use adhesive tape, staples, thumbtack or pins on the wooden pews. Instead, ribbons and flowers on stands are recommended.
• Do not place flowers or any form of decorative item on the Altar.
• Do not use helium balloons in the Cathedral.

• Please remind your appointed photographers to observe the sacredness of the sanctuary.
• At all times, do not step onto the Sanctuary – the raised floor around the Altar.
• Use a telephoto lens instead.
• Normal lens for shooting from front of the Sanctuary at the exchange of rings.
• Normal lens for shooting at signing of the documents at the side table.

• Be punctual for your wedding service
• Request that your non-Catholic guests attending the wedding service respect the sacredness of the Sanctuary / Cathedral and to switch off all hand phones.
• Your appointed Commentator may need to remind the Congregation at your wedding Mass that Holy Communion are strictly for Catholics only.
• After your wedding, you may take photos at the entrance of the Cathedral. Please be mindful of your time as there may be another wedding service following yours. 

Revised: 21 August 2015