[Effective 1 March 2024]

 Read carefully...

1. The prospective godparent must at least 16 years old
2. The prospective godparent must produce their Baptismal Certificate* attesting they have received all three Sacraments of Initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist and mail it to:

Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church

550 Adams Drive

Crestview, Florida 32536

–OR–

Email a pdf of the front and back of the new Baptismal Certificate to: [email protected]

3. The prospective godparent is a registered member in their home parish
4. The prospective godparent must provide a letter from their pastor attesting they are Catholic in good standing, leading a life in harmony with the faith and the role to be undertaken
5. If married, the prospective godparent must have been married in the Catholic Church (this should be annotated in the Baptismal Record of the godparent)*
6. The prospective godparent is not be the child’s parent
7. The prospective godparent must has completed a baptismal prep classes in current parish
8. The prospective godparents should be one male and one female, if two are selected.

1. The Catholic parent(s) must produce an updated copy of their Baptismal Certificate* attesting they have received all three Sacraments of Initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist (If you haven’t completed your sacraments, let us know. We can help you accomplish this!)
2. If, at some future point, the parents of the child to be baptized should be asked to be a godparent, the couple need to show proof of marriage in the Catholic Church. Reach out to the parish where the sacrament of matrimony took place, and ask for a copy of your marriage certificate with annotations.
3. If the parents of the child to be baptized need to have their marriage convalidated in the Church to qualify as prospective godparents, they can make an appointment with the pastor or the deacon to set up Marriage preparation sessions.

• Contact the church of your baptism, informing that you are sponsoring a child for baptism within the next six (6) months, and you are requesting an updated Baptismal Certificate with notations. [If you were baptized on a military installation, click here for Sacramental Document Requests.]
• When requesting the updated document, provide the church of baptism the following information.

1. Your full first, middle, and surname
2. Date of Birth
3. Place of Birth
4. Your father's full name
5. You mother's full maiden name
6. A mailing address

• Procuring this document can be done by telephoning or emailing the parish.

The apostle John says: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." (1 John 1:8). Sin is before all else an offense against God, a rupture of communion with him. At the same time it damages communion with the Church. For this reason conversion entails both God's forgiveness and reconciliation with the Church, which are expressed and accomplished liturgically by the sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation. (Lumen Gentium, 11) Since the new life of grace received in Baptism does not abolish the weakness of human nature nor the inclination to sin (that is, concupiscence), Christ instituted this sacrament for the conversion of the baptized who have been separated from him by sin.

Times for Confessions

• Monday, 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
• Wednesday, 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
• 1st Fridays, 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
• By appointments, 850-682-4622

• Examination of Conscience based on the Ten Commandments
• Examination of Conscience in the Public Square | En Español
• Examination of Conscience in Light of Catholic Social Teaching | En Español
• Examination of Conscience for Children
• Examination of Conscience for Young Adults
• Examination of Conscience for Single People
• Examination of Conscience for Married Persons

"By the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed." (Lumen Gentium, 11)
 

All-powerful God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
 by water and the Holy Spirit
 you freed your sons and daughters from sin
 and gave them new life.
 Send your Holy Spirit upon them
 to be their helper and guide.
 Give them the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
 the spirit of right judgment and courage,
 the spirit of knowledge and reverence.
 Fill them with the spirit of wonder and awe in your presence.
 We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of the Bishop over the Confirmandi

For Catholics

For our fellow Christians

For those not receiving Holy Communion

For non-Christians

Congratulations on the occasion of your engagement to marriage!
We are here to assist you in pursuing the Sacrament of Matrimony.

What Church Law says about a valid marriage:

Canon 1055

§1. The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring, has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament between the baptized.

§2. For this reason, a valid matrimonial contract cannot exist between the baptized without it being by that fact a sacrament.

Canon 1056 

The essential properties of marriage are unity and indissolubility, which in Christian marriage obtain a special firmness by reason of the sacrament.

Can. 1057 

§1. The consent of the parties, legitimately manifested between persons qualified by law, makes marriage; no human power is able to supply this consent.

§2. Matrimonial consent is an act of the will by which a man and a woman mutually give and accept each other through an irrevocable covenant in order to establish marriage.

Can. 1058

All persons who are not prohibited by law can contract marriage.

Getting Married in the Catholic Church: FAQs

Here are the steps to get the couple to the altar on their wedding day:

A. Baptismal Certificates

• Contact the church of your baptism, informing that you are planning to get married within the subsequent six (6) months, and you are requesting an updated Baptismal Certificate with notations. [If you were baptized on a military installation, click here for Sacramental Document Requests.]
• When requesting the updated document, provide the church of baptism the following information.

1. Your full first, middle, and surname
2. Date of Birth
3. Place of Birth
4. Your father's full name
5. You mother's full maiden name
6. A mailing address

• Procuring this document can be done by telephoning or emailing the parish.

• Soon after your engagement, contact the parish office and set up a meeting with the priest or deacon. 850-682-4622

• The priest or deacon will inquire about previous marriages. If this is the case for one or both parties, annulment(s) from the previous marriage(s) will be discussed.

• If a couple is civilly married and is seeking to "convalidate" their civil union in the Catholic Church, the couple will pursue the standard paperwork and preparation process as a couple who have never been married before.

• Banns of Marriage Form - These are witness forms. The groom and the bride are given two (2) forms each for a total of four (4) forms. The couple are to give their Banns of Marriage forms to two people have known them since the age of sixteen (16) years. Most folks have their parents each form. The chosen witness fills out the form and goes to the nearest Catholic Church to have their signature witnessed by a priest or deacon. The priest or deacon will sign the witness form and place a church seal on the document. The witness returns the Banns of Marriage form to the bride of groom who gave it to them.

• Marriage Preparation - The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee has several options for couple to fulfill this requirement. Review, choose, and complete one of the following in-person or online options prior to your next meeting with the priest or deacon: Diocesan Marriage Preparation

1. Bring the Certificate of Completion for the Marriage Preparation workshop or the online courses to the meeting. The priest will place it in your marriage file.
2. FOCCUS - This is interpersonal communication skills inventory that can be taken online or administered by the priest or deacon. If you take it online, bring a copy of the report to submit to your marriage file. If you do not take it online, it will be administered by the priest or deacon. The results will be printed at the second meeting. The priest or deacon will discuss the results with the couple. A copy will be placed in couple's marriage file.
3. Pre-Nuptial Questionnaire - This questionnaire is conducted under oath and separately by the priest or deacon. It is simply a statement of freedom to marry as expressed by each party.
4. Dispensation - In the case of a mixed marriage (defined as a Catholic wishing to marry a non-Catholic), the priest of deacon will fill out a dispensation for submittal to the Diocesan Tribunal. The Catholic signs this dispensation, attesting they are assuming responsibility of having their children baptized and reared as Catholics.
5. Infant Baptism Session - Since Openness to Children is a non-negotiable requirement for a Sacramental Marriage, a couple will meet with Deacon Dan for a session on the blessings and expectations of parents as the first teachers of their children in the ways of faith.

• Planning the Ceremony

1. Go to the online site: Together for life Familize yourselves with what to expect in preparation of your wedding day.
2. If the wedding is taking place at Our Lady of Victory, the priest or deacon will discuss how you wish the ceremony to take place.
3. If your wedding is to take place at another church, all of the preparation has to be completed three (3) months from the ceremony date. This allows the transfer of documents between Diocesan Tribunal Offices. This is important for overseas weddings.
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The OCIA process is for those seeking to join the Catholic Church. If you are unbaptized or if you were baptized in another denomination, the OCIA process will take you on a journey of exploration of the Catholic faith.

 To Register: Click Here