Baptism and Marriage

The first thing for parents and Godparents must do is to attend the Baptismal Preparation Class. Deacon Edward conducts the class on the first Tuesday of each month. There is no charge.

If parents are not parishioners of Saints Peter and Paul, you will need to get a letter of permission from their home parish (the closest parish to where they currently live) to have the child baptized here. Every church will understand this request--just call the home parish.

Godparents must be confirmed Catholics, over the age of 16, in good standing with the Church.  If married, a godparent must have been married in the Catholic Church.

Godparents should be chosen based on their ability to help you raise your child in the complete beliefs and teachings of the Catholic Church. That means, at a bare minimum, that they attend Mass every Sunday. If Godparents are not parishioners of Saints Peter and Paul, they will need to get a letter of permission from their home parish (the closest parish to where they currently live) to act as Godparents.  It is permitted to have only one Godparent—if there are two, they must be a man and a woman. Two Godparents of the same sex are not permitted. If the Godparents are from out-of-town they may attend a class at their home parish.

It is not permitted to have a non-Catholic Christian as a Godparent.  Such a person can be a “Christian Witness” to the baptism, and give a good example to the child by their life. The person serving as a Christian Witness must also attend the baptismal preparation class.

After the baptismal preparation class has been attended and a letter of permission from the home parish (if needed) has been procured, the parents may speak with the priest about scheduling a date. People often want to schedule a date in advance, so that family members from far away can attend, but it still needs to be scheduled AFTER attending the prep class.

Requested Donations: $100 for the Church. Suggested (at family’s discretion)  $100 for Baptismal Celebrant. We generally celebrate baptisms on Sunday afternoons, or on Saturdays when we do not have scheduled weddings.

Saints Peter and Paul Church – San Francisco
Requirement for Marriage Preparation (PDF here)

Weddings must be scheduled at least six months in advance. During the period of six months you will meet with the priest a number of times, have witnesses testify to your freedom to marry and complete a few marriage preparation steps.

First requirement:  To be married in any Catholic Church, either the bride or the groom must be a Catholic.

Second important question: has either of you been married before?

Third requirement: Here are several steps you need to complete:

1) The Catholic member(s) will need to get an updated (current, not the original) baptismal certificate, with notations, from the Church of baptism. Call or email your Church of baptism anywhere in the world, and they will understand this request, and send you the certificate.

2) If the Catholic member(s) are not parishioners of Saints Peter and Paul, they will need a letter of permission from their home parish giving permission to get married in another parish. Your home parish is where you go to Church, or, if you are not attending Church, the closest parish to where you live. You will need to be a registered parishioner at the home parish, so you may also need to register.

3) Once you have these documents you can meet with one of our priests and get the process started. You will come in, fill out some forms, and take the FOCCUS Inventory.

4) Go over the results of your FOCCUS Inventory with the priest. 

5) You will each need to have two witnesses come in and testify to your freedom to marry. That can be a parents, other relatives or longtime friends.

6) Take a Catholic marriage prep class with a married couple. This can be done in person or online. When you meet with the priest he will give you some options. This is recommended: 

https://www.catholicmarriageprep.com/course-info/courses-info

7) Take an Engaged Encounter Retreat https://sfcee.org/

We celebrate weddings on Saturdays at 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 3:00 PM.

Wedding Fees:  The fee is $2,000 or $2,500 with music. The fee is payable in full when you book your wedding. This includes the services of the priest who will assist you prepare and celebrate your wedding. The music fee of $500 includes $300 for an organist and $200 for a soloist.This fee includes consultation and rehearsal if needed.

If you are getting married in another parish, but want to do your marriage preparation at Saints Peter and Paul, the fee is $500.

For wedding payments contact Mr. Ramon San Gabriel at 415-421-0809, ext. 230, or [email protected] 

Music: Please contact Mr. Rey at [email protected] to make arrangement music for your wedding.

Schedule: Please contact Mr. Gibbons Cooney at [email protected] or phone: (415) 421-0809

NO alcohol is permitted anywhere on the Church premises. Wedding parties are not allowed to enter the sacristy.

Wedding Parking: San Francisco and North Beach are frequently the scenes of weekend traffic congestion and gridlock. Plan to arrive early so that the wedding can start on time. If a serious delay occurs the priest may have to make appropriate abbreviations in the ceremony or shorten the photo session in order not to inconvenience the next wedding or the Saturday afternoon confessions or evening Mass. This applies to rehearsals as well–several rehearsals may be scheduled on the same evening.

The white zone in front of the church and the underground parking garage (entrance and exit on Powell Street) are provided for the rehearsals and wedding. Cars must be removed after the wedding ceremony to make room for the following events.

Garage parking times are:

• 10:30 to 12:15 for 11:00 AM weddings

• 12:30 to 2: 15 for 1:00 PM weddings

• 2:30 to 4: 15 for 3:00 PM weddings

Any overflow parking must be handled by commercial garages: (North Beach Garage 735 Vallejo St., 399-9564; Vallejo Street Garage, 766 Vallejo St., 989-4490; Filbert St. Parking 721 Filbert St) by valet parking, or with on-street parking where available.