Shepherd of the Woods Church, Anglican Church in North America, Yreka, Siskiyou, Northern California, State of Jefferson

"Embracing Celtic Spirituality and Respecting the Earth as God's Creation"

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NEWSLETTER

Weddings and Wedding Services

LOCATIONS + COUNSELING + WEDDING + LICENSES + FEES + OTHER SERVICES

Renewal of Vows

As the priest of Shepherd of the Woods Church and director of St. Mary Magdalene's Retreat, Reverend Chris Enda-Luke is available to perform weddings and other services. Many couples who have been married for several years seek a celebration to make a renewal of vows or the blessing of a civil marriage. Others would like to have their infants or children baptized, but are not members of a particular church or are far from their home parishes. In many cases, the priest will perform these services in addition to the counseling that may be requested or even required by the State of California.

Locations:
There are several quaint churches in the local area that welcome wedding parties:
The Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene is well suited to very small wedding parties of up to 20 people. Located outside of Yreka, the location is quite pastoral.
The newly opened-to-the-public St. Mark's Church building in the St. Mark's Community Square located in downtown Yreka. The church was built in the 1880's and seats up to 100 people. This site is in downtown Yreka.
The Little Shasta Church, located approximately eight miles east of Montague, California, seats approximately 200 people. This church was built in 1873. Although the church itself is quite rustic, the setting is beautiful.

Outdoor weddings are very popular during the warmer months and many locations provide a beautiful and scenic backdrop:
St. Mary Magdalene's Retreat will soon be opening a beautiful outdoor chapel, Our Lady of the Forest.
The courtyard and gazebo behind St. Mark's Church is also available.
Many weddings are held in Greenhorn Park or in other public access areas in and around Yreka.
Some couples prefer to hold small outdoor weddings in their own backyards.
These choices should be prayerfully made to ensure that there is room enough for all the guests and family, but still remain affordable for the wedding couple.

Counseling:
Although pre-marital counseling is not required by the State of California if both the bride and groom are over 18 years of age, those couples seeking spiritual direction sessions for marriage preparation may meet with the priest individually or as a couple. Fees for spiritual direction are negotiable based on financial need.

Wedding:
Most weddings are conducted using the 1979 Book of Common Prayer, however, couples may chose from several different services or, with the consent of the priest, write their own wedding vows, prayers, and blessing. Medieval themed weddings may prefer an old English version, and others a ceremony with Celtic or Native American roots.

Licenses:
If the ceremony is held in the State of California, a wedding license must be obtained from a county office within California prior to the wedding ceremony. The priest will complete and mail all the required paperwork and couples will be provided with a certificate of Holy Matrimony from the church. One witness is required by the State of California.

In the case of the Renewal of Vows or the Blessing of a Civil Marriage, a copy of the existing marriage license will need to be presented to the priest prior to the ceremony.

Fees:
There is no fee, per se, to marry couples who are members of Shepherd of the Woods Church. Performing marriage ceremonies is part of the duties of a priest, though many times couples do provide an honorarium or gratuity.
The church building or courtyard the couple select, however, will require a rental fee and this must be arranged directly with the owner of the property or building.
Weddings performed for non-member couples are charged a fee of $150 which covers the initial meeting, rehearsal, and ceremony. It is customary to pay this fee at the time of the wedding rehearsal.
If the wedding is held at an off-site location such as a park, home, or another church building, travel fees are paid at 60 cents per mile.

Other Services:
As stated on the Chapel page, many other services can be provided such as renewal of vows, blessing of a civil marriage, private baptism, and various rites of passage. Specifics can be discussed with the priest regarding type of service, location, and liturgy.

Please feel free to view our current newsletter for a schedule of upcoming services and events.

Celtic Cat Eating Mouse Eating a Communion Wafer from aon-celtic.com

Donations to Shepherd of the Woods Church are tax deductible.
This page last updated on 9-Jan-2012

Shepherd of the Woods Church
Yreka, California
Rev'd Chris Enda-Luke CCS, Rector
vicar@shepherdofthewoods.org