“A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh.”
Mark 10:7-8
In a sacramental marriage, God’s love becomes present to the spouses in their total union and also flows through them to their family and community. The sacrament of Christian marriage involves their entire life as they journey together and become more able to give to and receive from each other. Their life becomes sacramental to the extent that the couple cooperates with God’s action in their life and sees themselves as living “in Christ” and Christ living and acting in their relationship, attitudes, and actions.
Getting Married at our Parish
On behalf of the Most Precious Blood Community, may we express our joy and congratulations on your upcoming wedding celebration! We hope it will be a very meaningful, joy-filled experience for you.
It is our hope that couples who come to Most Precious Blood Church to prepare for their weddings do so to express their faith and spirituality as well as their feelings for one another.
The Marriage Preparation Process is an eight-month, multiphase process. The purpose of the preparation is to facilitate conversation for the engaged couple and to help the couple develop and maintain skills for creating a healthy and loving marriage relationship. The eight-month process allows for those skills to soak in and take root within the relationship.
Requirements
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Eight-month preparation period before the wedding.
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FOCCUS Inventory
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Marriage Prep Program
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Natural Family Planning
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Final Meeting
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Reconciliation
In the initial meeting with one of the priests, couples will complete the paperwork necessary to be married within the Catholic Church. This includes the Freedom to Marry Testimony for both the bride and the groom and proof of baptism. For those who were baptized in the Catholic Church, obtaining proof of baptism requires contacting the parish where you were baptized and having them send you an “Updated Baptismal Record”. The information on the Updated Baptismal Record is more than just a copy of the original baptismal certificate. As such, the original baptismal certificate is not acceptable for the marriage file for Catholics. For those baptized in another Christian denomination, a copy of the original baptismal certificate is acceptable.
Welcome to the Catholic marriage prep retreat, a joint initiative of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Most Precious Blood, and Assumption Catholic Parishes.
Retreat dates: Friday, September 26th and Saturday, September 27th, 2025. Cost is $240 per couple.
With questions, please contact Fr. Daniel at FrDaniel@mpbdenver.org.
Once the Marriage Prep Seminar is completed, couples will be sent a link via email to take the FOCCUS Inventory. There is a $30 processing fee for the inventory. Once the inventory is completed and processed, you will be contacted to set up an appointment to go over the results. This is not a test to determine whether you are compatible, but a tool to help you understand your strengths and challenges as a couple (and every couple has both!), and to continue to develop the skills for a lifelong healthy marriage.
Natural Family Planning classes can be found on the Archdiocesan website: archden.org/eflm/nfp. There are several options listed on the website. It takes several months to complete these classes, so please plan accordingly. Once this class is completed you will receive a certificate of completion that needs to be returned to Father Daniel and will be included in your marriage file.
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Do I (or we, as a couple) genuinely seek a sacramental marriage that is both recognized and blessed by the church or are we “going through the motions” to please another — be it God, our parents, the Church?
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Am I willing to fully engage in the process of marriage preparation with an openness to learning all I can about myself, my fiancé(e), and our relationship?
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Do I desire to be an active participant in my faith or am I only “dropping in” for a wedding, without a genuine interest in a marriage that is lived in the context of the parish community?
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Can I honestly and authentically claim my faith as my own and am I living it out in the best way I can?
If you answered yes to these questions, please continue on to the next set of questions. If you answered no to these questions, feel free to contact Fr. Daniel
Ciucci by email at Pastor@mpbdenver.org or call him at 720.600.4775, to discuss your options.
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Have I been a registered member of MPB or another parish for at least 6 months?
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Do I engage in my faith life on a regular basis?
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Is my expected wedding date at least 8 months in the future? (The Archdiocese of Denver requires an 8-month preparation period.)
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Do I want to be married inside a church by a priest? (The Archdiocese of Denver does not give dispensations for “destination weddings”.)
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Am I seeking a blessing of a civil marriage? (If so, we ask that you go through marriage preparation and observe the 8-month preparation period.)
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I would like to do marriage prep at MPB and get married at another church by another priest or deacon. Is the priest (and/or church) marrying me able to verify my registration and active participation in that parish?
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Am I available to attend all 5 evenings of marriage preparation classes, knowing that make-up sessions are not offered?
If you answered yes to these questions, please feel free to inquire further about our upcoming Marriage Prep Seminars. To sign up for classes, contact Fr. Daniel Ciucci by email at Pastor@mpbdenver.org, or call him at 720.600.4775.
If you answered no, feel free to contact Fr. Daniel Ciucci by email at Pastor@mpbdenver.org or call him at 720.600.4775 to discuss your options.
