St Benedict's Church

Bookings
Wedding ceremonies are generally held on Fridays and Saturdays. 
If you wish to have your ceremony on an alternative day, you will need to receive agreement from the Parish Priest.

Due to weekday mass commitments at St Benedict’s Broadway, the earliest start time for a wedding Monday to Friday is 2:30pm.

The latest starting time for a wedding on Saturdays is 2pm.

Please note: Due to Mass commitments, no weddings will be held on Sundays at all 3 parishes.

Use of the Church for weddings

St Benedict’s, St James’ and St Bede’s churches are sacred places of worship and are working churches. For this reason, it is not merely a venue for hire.

The Church’s Liturgical Calendar often requires changes to the dressing of the sanctuary and other places (such as the veiling statues for Lent). Which cannot be changed.

In place in the churches are posters, machines and fixtures. These must remain where they are and not be moved by photographers or members of the wedding.

Priest or Deacon
Couples from outside the parishes of St Benedict’s must arrange for their own priest or deacon.

Visiting Priests or Deacons
Any visiting priests or deacons MUST complete our visiting priest form and email to [email protected] as soon as possible, but at least 1 month prior to the wedding taking place.

Meeting with the Priest or Deacon
The priest or deacon is responsible for seeing that the couple undertake a course of marriage preparation, for the paperwork and the ceremony planning for the couple.
You will need to meet with the Priest/Deacon at least 3 months prior to your wedding date to complete the government and church paperwork and to discuss the order of your wedding service.

Documents required when meeting with the Priest or Deacon

• Wedding application form
• Original identification (passport, driver’s license, birth certificate)
• A recent copy of your Baptism certificate for marriage purposes. Please request an updated copy from the parish of your baptism no more than 6 months prior to your wedding date.
• Certificate of completed wedding preparation course (or proof of enrolment)
• Divorce and/or Annulment papers if applicable.

You will need to show the original (and provide copies) of the above documents at your meeting with the priest or deacon:

Wedding preparation course
Couples need to complete a marriage preparation course prior to their marriage. Please see the link for the Smart Loving online course.
www.SmartLoving.org/engaged

Capacity
The church will hold a maximum of 250 people.

Parking
There is parking in the grounds of St Benedict’s Church for six cars only. 
Due to the lack of on-site parking each space needs to be pre-booked. The couple being married can allocate the spaces to whoever they choose but they are generally for the elderly or less mobile, your parents, the photographer, musicians etc. 
Your wedding vehicle can park in front of the church and is not included in the allocated parking.
Anyone not listed on our booking form will be directed to park elsewhere. NO EXCEPTIONS.

There are approximately six Sydney City Council allocated parking spaces for wedding vehicles only, on Abercrombie Street. These spaces are generally for stretch limousines, hummers etc that won’t fit in the driveway.

We request that you advise your guests there is NO ON-SITE parking. Your guests need to park in the surrounding streets or in parking stations nearby.

Wedding Rehearsal
Rehearsals are generally held at St Benedict’s Broadway on the Thursday prior to your wedding, at 6pm. This will be arranged when your booking is confirmed.

Church Access
The church is opened 1 hour prior to your ceremony and is kept open for half an hour after the ceremony.

Payments – Church*
The church booking fee is $500.00. Your booking will not be confirmed until this payment has been received.

Payments – Priest*
It is customary to offer a donation to your priest or deacon. This is given to the priest or deacon at the rehearsal.

Payments – Other
Fees paid to the Organist, Bell Ringers and any other musicians are not included in the church booking and are an additional charge, paid directly to the person providing the service.

Music (live or recorded)
Since a wedding in the church is a sacred ceremony, music should be of a sacred nature. Secular music cannot be played in the church.

• If you would like the church organ to be played, we can supply you with details of the parish organist.
• Use of other instruments such as the harp, classical guitar, viola etc are welcome.
• You will be responsible for any copyright issues involved in the playing of recorded music.

Church Organ and Bell Ringers
If you would like to have the pipe organ or bells played at your wedding, details will be provided to you to arrange this with the Parish Organist and Bell Ringer. There is an additional fee for this service and is paid directly to the service provider. If you wish to provide your own organ player, they will need to get permission to play from our organ master.

PA System
You must not change any of the church’s PA settings. Much effort has been made in adjusting the PA system so that the sound in the church is at its optimum setting.

Security
Please ensure that any vehicles are locked, and valuables are kept out of view or not left unattended within the church.
St Benedict’s Parish will not be responsible for any loss or damage due to criminal activity.

Flowers and decorations
There are no restrictions on the amount of flowers you can have, but:

• Flower arrangements are not to be placed directly on the altar. It is permitted to place arrangements directly in front of the altar on the floor.
• Floral arrangements can be placed anywhere else in the church.
• Your florist will need to be advised that we do not provide any vases.
• Pew decorations are allowed but only if tied onto the pews. (No pins or glue are permitted)

Floral arrangements may be left in the church if you wish, except during the Season of Lent, when all flowers must be removed from the church. (Lent begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes with the Easter Vigil)

Confetti, Rice and Flower petals etc
Under no circumstances is the use of confetti, rice, flower petals or glitter permitted in or outside the church.

Animals in the church
With the exception of service animals, pets are not permitted in the church. If you wish for your pet to be part of your wedding, please reserve this for your photos or reception.

If you require further information, please contact the Parish office on 02 9660 1407 or email [email protected]

Office hours are Monday to Friday 9.30am to 2.30pm.

Family History Research

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