Procedure for Couples from Other Dioceses
Requesting Marriage in the Diocese of Honolulu
(For visiting clergy information, click here.)
1. Marriage Preparation: Contact your local parish to arrange for your marriage preparation. This ordinarily includes meetings with a priest or deacon, completion of required paperwork, the use of a premarital inventory (such as FOCCUS or PMI) which will be discussed with the priest or deacon, and participation in an Engaged Encounter Weekend or other similar program offered in your own diocese.
2. Contact Information: Contact a priest or deacon assigned to a parish in Hawai'i where you wish the marriage to take place. If he agrees to celebrate the wedding, send to him the name, address, phone number(s), and e-mail address for the following:
Cautionary note on fraudulent clergy: Beware of individuals who pass themselves as legitimate Catholic priests but who, in fact, are not. Sometimes referrals to such individuals are made by secular wedding coordinators. Make sure that the priest you are dealing with is in full communion with the pope and the bishop of Honolulu. Weddings celebrated by fraudulent clergy are invalid. Those with links through this web site are legitimate. Questions concerning other clergy can be directed to the Office for Canonical Affairs at (808) 203-6766.
3. Letter of Permission: Once your priest or deacon has established your freedom to marry, he should write to the priest or deacon who will be celebrating your marriage here in Hawai'i. The letter should state the following:
4. Canonical Paperwork: At least three months in advance of the date of the wedding, your priest or deacon is to forward the following authentic documents to the diocesan curia of his diocese, which is then to mail the authentic documents (not photocopies or faxes) to:
Office for Canonical Affairs
6301 Pali Hwy.
Kāne'ohe, HI 96744 USA
The Office for Canonical Affairs of the Diocese of Honolulu will then review and approve the authentic documents and forward them to the priest or deacon here in Hawai'i who will be celebrating your wedding.
Photocopies of all authentic documents mailed should be kept by the parish sending the documents out until it is certain that they have arrived at the parish where the wedding will take place.
5. Liturgy Planning: Plans regarding music, choice of readings, and other details of the ceremony need to be arranged with the priest, deacon, or staff of the parish where the marriage will take place. Marriages where only one party is Catholic are celebrated with a full ceremony but ordinarily outside Mass.
6. Church of Wedding: Marriages are to take place inside a Catholic church or oratory. This requirement reflects the fact that marriage is a religious vocation and a public celebration of the Church community.
Exceptions in the case of a marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic: Permission to celebrate the marriage in a non-Catholic church building may be sought if there are objections of conscience by non-Catholics to entering a Catholic church building. In such a case, the Catholic party must write a letter to the Director of Canonical Affairs of the Diocese of Honolulu stating the reasons for this request. The priest or deacon celebrating the wedding must also agree to this, and the couple needs to make arrangements with the non-Catholic Christian minister to use his building.
Exceptions in the case of a marriage between a Catholic and a non-baptized person: If objections of conscience arise by non-Catholics to entering a Catholic Church building, permission may be sought to celebrate the marriage in a non-Catholic religious building or in another suitable place. If possible, the ceremony should be celebrated in a chapel-like arrangement or in a room apart from the place where the meal or reception will take place. In such a case, the Catholic party must write a letter to the Director of Canonical Affairs of the Diocese of Honolulu stating the reasons for this request, the name and address of the proposed place, and a complete description of the indoor setting that is proposed for the marriage. The priest or deacon celebrating the wedding must also agree to this.
7. Civil Marriage License: The prospective bride and groom must appear together before a marriage license agent to get a license. In Hawai'i, no blood tests, waiting period, or residence or citizenship is required to obtain a marriage license. Licenses are issued immediately and expire in 30 days. Licenses are good anywhere in the state of Hawai'i. Marriages licenses for the couple may be received from:
For the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of marriage agents in the rural and suburban areas of O'ahu, call (808) 586-4544.
For the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of marriage agents on the neighbor islands, call the local office of the Department of Health:
The marriage license must be presented to the priest or deacon at least 24 hours before the rehearsal. The priest or deacon who officiates at the marriage is responsible for completing and mailing in the marriage license.
8. Arrival in Hawai'i: Plan on arriving a few days before your scheduled wedding to meet with the priest or deacon who will be officiating at your wedding. The marriage license may be given to the priest or deacon at this time.
Procedure for Clergy from Other Dioceses Requesting to Officiate at a Marriage in the Diocese of Honolulu
1. The visiting priest or deacon should contact the pastor in Hawai'i where the wedding will take place to make initial arrangements to officiate at the wedding.
2. At least four weeks before the wedding is to take place, two copies of a letter of good standing from the Ordinary of the visiting priest or deacon must be sent to:
Office for Canonical Affairs
6301 Pali Hwy.
Kāne'ohe, HI 96744 USA
This letter must:
The Office of Canonical Affairs will keep one copy of the letter and mail the second copy to the Hawai`i State Department of Heath along with a letter from the Diocese of Honolulu vouching for the cleric's credentials.
3. At least four weeks before the wedding is to take place, the priest or deacon must also write to the Registration Section of the Department of Health to request an application for a temporary license to officiate at the wedding:
Hawai'i State Department of Health
Vital Records Office, Registration Section
P. O. Box 3378
Honolulu, HI 96801 USA
The letter requesting the application must:
The Department of Health will then send the application to the priest or deacon. He must return the application to the Department of Health at least two weeks prior to the marriage. Upon receipt of the application and the letters from the Catholic Church (#2 above), authorization will be mailed to the priest or deacon before his arrival in Hawai'i.
For more information: www.hawaii.gov/health
Important: It is the responsibility of the visiting priest or deacon to secure the temporary license! The Hawai`i Department of Health insists that these procedures be followed exactly!
4. The visiting priest or deacon should ask the pastor for delegation to assist at the marriage. (He can also get this delegation from a parochial vicar or deacon assigned to the parish.) The delegation should be noted by the pastor (or other priest or deacon) in the marriage paperwork. The marriage is to be recorded in the church where the wedding takes place, and the paperwork is to be filed there.
5. The officiating priest or deacon is to receive the civil marriage license at least 24 hours before the rehearsal and is responsible for completing the license and mailing it in.
Last Updated Friday, April 23 2010 @ 10:07 PM HST|19,070 Hits 
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