Finding our church!

So there we were, Mr. M and I - we had booked our reception venue but still had no idea where to do the actual ceremony. We could have held it at the Botanic Gardens, of course - they were happy to provide space and time for the ceremony, but Mr. M and I both knew that we wanted to have a Catholic wedding. We were both raised Catholic, but had stopped attending church in recent years, so we started off by looking around for a parish to join.

Our coordinator at the gardens had suggested a church in a nearby neighborhood, but when I called them, the parish priest told me that since I lived outside of their parish boundaries, they wouldn't be willing to let us get married there. "Even if we attend Mass there every week?" I asked. "Even then," he replied, "You should go to church whose parish you live in." Oh man... denied!

We found another church close to us and went to Mass there the next Sunday. While the church and the parishoners there were absolutely lovely, it just... didn't feel right. It didn't feel like home for some reason. So the search continued. 

Finally, I called St. Joseph's to ask about joining their parish and the requirements for getting married in their church. From that very first phone call, I had a really good feeling about St. Joseph's. The folks I spoke with were warm and lovely, and they encouraged us to come attend Mass one Sunday and speak with the Monsignor afterwards about pre-Cana and becoming members of the parish. So, next Sunday, I dutifully reported for Mass... and was blown away. 

This church... this church felt like home. There was just something about it. Even before the Monsignor began his homily, I felt like... this is where I'm supposed to be. This is not just where I'm supposed to get married, but a place where I can really allow my faith to blossom. A place where Mr. M and I can become part of a community. And then the Monsignor stepped off the altar and walked into the pews to begin his homily, and he was just so thoughtful and passionate and wise. My decision was solidified. This was it. This was our church. 

I went back the next week with Mr. M, and he agreed a hundred percent. We scheduled our first meeting with Monsignor to begin our wedding preparation, and we've been going back for Sunday Mass every week since. It's a really wonderful thing for us, I think. It not only makes us feel happy, and feel restored every week, and feel closer to God.... it makes us feel like a family.