Wedding Planning at the Shrine

Shrine of St. Therese Chapel use and marriage policy according to the Diocese of Juneau.

The Shrine of St. Therese is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Juneau. It is our pleasure and joy to share this Holy Place of Spiritual worship with individuals, couples, and groups who maintain the Spirit of the Shrine. Christians view marriage as a sacred covenant, a dimension of their religious faith that involves God as much as the love between husband and wife. As such, we celebrate the sacramental exchange of vows in a "Holy Place", that is, a special space designated and consecrated by the faith community for the worship of God.

Therefore, it has been the tradition of the Shrine of St. Therese to avail itself for weddings of couples who accept marriage as a sacred commitment between themselves and Christ. As a Catholic oratory and place of worship, the normal expectation is that either the groom or the bride (or both) is an active Catholic. Baptized Christians who are active members of Protestant and Orthodox Churches may also be married at the Shrine provided they meet the requirements. In all cases only those weddings may be celebrated that would be permissible under the marriage policy of the Catholic Diocese of Juneau. Regardless of the couple's religious affiliation, no wedding may be celebrated at the Shrine Chapel or other Shrine facilities if one or both of the persons being married was previously married to another person who is still alive, unless that previous marriage has first been declared null or dissolved in accordance with the procedures of the Catholic Church. Every wedding at the Shrine must be conducted by officially recognized and approved clergy of Christian Churches, in accordance with their officially approved rites. In the case of any marriage in which either the bride or the groom has at any time in his or her life been a member of the Catholic Church, the wedding may be celebrated only by Catholic clergy according to the canonical form required by the Catholic Church, unless special permission has first been obtained from the Catholic Diocese of Juneau.

Besides the above requirements, Catholic couples will be required to have completed the required marriage instructions and fulfilled the 6 month waiting period after their contact with their parish priest. In addition, there may be other requirements that need to be fulfilled; please contact early on to handle the necessary time required to plan for your wedding.

To insure that the Shrine's purpose is honored and the necessary guidelines fulfilled, the Shrine Director retains the prerogative of denying the use of the Shrine to any individual, couple, or group who do not promote, reverence, and respect the values of the Shrine, or in the case of persons seeking to be married at the Shrine, who do not qualify in regards to the marriage policies as required by the Roman Catholic Church.

For further information or to discuss a possible wedding at the Shrine of St. Therese Chapel (or thought of holding the wedding on the Shrine grounds or in any of the other facilities), contact the Shrine Director at (907) 780-6112 or e-mail fitterer@gci.net