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Catholic Church Recommendations - please!

CaitlinTereseCaitlinTerese
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in Minnesota-Minneapolis and St. Paul
Hey all - I appreciate any and everything here!

We're looking to get married in a Catholic Church next fall. FI is USMC so he doesn't officially belong to a parish but they do paperwork through the military to verify his religion. I am in the process of becoming an official member of my parish in Eagan. HOWEVER we both don't like the look of my church. It's very modern and we're looking for something a little bit more traditional and, as he put it "pre-Vatican II" looking.

I've tried looking at the website of the Archdioceses in the Twin Cities but it's very overwhelming. Plus, many of the churches don't have websites, and those that do don't have pictures up. I'd rather not spend a ton of time going around and looking at churches, only to find out that they're not even in the style we're looking for.

We're going to have about 200 people, so we are trying to keep that in mind for the size.

I read on an earlier thread about Nazareth Chapel in Roseville (the pics I saw looked GORGEOUS and we are going to look into it) and we are both St. Thomas grads so we are investigating the chapel there as well.

Does anyone have any other recommendations?

Thanks!
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Re: Catholic Church Recommendations - please!

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    WiscisblissWiscisbliss
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Catholic churches are somewhat notorious for being a pain to get married in if you are not a member.  Have you considered the St. Paul Cathedral?  It's huge, but definitely not modern. 

    The cathedral at St. Thomas books very quickly and is a lottery system (I think). 

    Gardian Angels in Oakdale is too modern for your tastes (I'm guessing).  They do have a nice historic chapel, but it only seats 100. 
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    newlyseliskinewlyseliski member
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011

    My sister and her husband were married at St. Thomas More on Summit and Lexington.  Their primary parish is the Cathedral, but her husband was in the choir at St. Thomas More. 

    My husband and I were married at the Cathedral and I'm a member there.  They are open to non-members (as is the Basilica in mpls), but the fee is much higher.  We had about 200 guests and the scale of the space was a bit overwhelming for that number of people!  That said, their marriage preparation was great and we loved working with Deacon Jim who we had even started meeting with before we were engaged to discern our relationship and various family troubles I was experiencing at the time.

    There are a lot of older churches in Saint Paul and I know from my sister's initial search that most are only willing to talk with a couple about marriage preparation and setting a date after one of them has already been a member at that parish for at least 6 months.   You could check some churches in the Northeast Minneapolis area, but I know that a lot of them will be closing/merging over the next few years.  PM me if you'd like a more specific list... 

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    tegdirb2001tegdirb2001
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    edited December 2011
    I am Catholic and I am getting married @ the Nazareth Chapel.  If I am not mistaken though, you can't have a Catholic mass @ Nazareth Chapel, but you may want to double check with the wedding coordinator there and your priest if you wish to do this. We were in the same boat as you as what we wanted the church to have a certain look.  We actually also considered the Basilica (we were members previously) but it was just too big for what we wanted. 

    Like PP mentioned, so many Catholic churches require you to be a member to get married there.  I would highly recommend Nazareth Chapel.  The St. Paul Cathedral is also a place that you are not required to be a member.
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    Bimbi284Bimbi284 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We got married at Our Lady of Lourdes in Minneapolis. Its beautiful, and a good size for the amount of people you are considering (not too big, not too small). I know they have been working on some renovations (including adding AC), but I'm not sure how far along they are in the process. I'd be happy to share some pics with you if you'd like! I've also got a review in my married bio.

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    Rebecca7911Rebecca7911 member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I got married at St. Edwards Catholic Church. It is a little on the modern size but so easy to get married in. You don't have to meet and requirements other than one of you being Catholic. I highly recommend them.
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    schmoodschmood member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    you could try Assumption in DT St. Paul.   They are kind of known for being lienient (sp?) on some of the typical 'catholic rules.' 
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    CaitlinTereseCaitlinTerese
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for all your help! I will definitely look into all of these - and thanks for the tip of Nazareth Chapel. FI is pretty adamant on having a Catholic Mass, so we'll probably have to steer away from that. 
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    sndietzsndietz
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I had this same problem.  I am a St. Thomas grad as well.  It is no longer a lottery system.  But, they are pretty booked up for 2012 on Saturdays, but lots of availability for Fridays!  I also went and looked at St. Kate's, which is beautiful, and they have lots of 2012 availability.  You will have to write a letter of appeal since you are not a alum, not sure how picky they are with those. 

    Other ones I considered looking into:  Lakewood Memorial Chapel in Lakewood Cemetary, Concordia University, Bigelow Chapel, Fort Snelling.  They are not Catholic churches, but they are churches so perhaps this is allowed within the Catholic faith.  Please take a look and let me know what you think!

    Personally, I decided that UST had the most meaning for me so I compromised a little and went with a Friday ceremony on 8/10/12.  Which actually works out great since I met my fiance on 8/10/10 :-)
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    leggwilliamsleggwilliams
    Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I know you already have it on your list to look it, but I totally recommend Nazareth. We're getting married there in a month and it's stunning.
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    AshP12AshP12
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    edited December 2011
    Don't give up on St. Thomas' Chapel just because they book quickly! I'm not a grad, but my FI's family business did all of the interior renovations on the chapel, so they called in a favor with the priest and got us in. As of early May when I called them, their coordinator gave me a list of open Saturday dates beginning as early as November -- only 7 months out. I'm sure there are plenty of 2012 Saturdays still available if you give them a call.

    Also, about Nazareth Chapel. I'm a current NWC student, and they actually DO allow a full mass. What they don't allow is alcohol on campus, including communion wine. However, according to Catholic doctrine, the only thing required for a full mass is the host, so they're still worth looking into (although more expensive than many other churches).

    Another unique option is St. John's in New Brighton. They have the older, traditional feel, but in a different way from most churches. They have tons of beautiful stonework. However, I know from my own search that they require you to be a registered parish member (maybe this is negotiable -- I didn't try).

    I know there are more, my FI is telling me about the churches he works in all the time. I'll let you know if I hear of any others. Good luck, hope this helps!
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