Chancery Office
Main Areas of Responsibilty
The principal responsibility of the Chancery Office is to prepare and transmit official legal documents on behalf of the Diocese of Northampton.
One of the main areas of work is the registration and forwarding of marriage documents worldwide, for couples where the Catholic party resides in the Diocese of Northampton. The aim is to assist the clergy in what can be quite complex preparation of marriage documentation.
Marriage Paperwork Processing
Marriage papers are sent to the Chancery Office from the parish of residence. They are processed, recorded and then forwarded to the Diocese where the marriage is to take place. That Diocese then grants a dispensation, before forwarding the marriage papers to the parish where the marriage is taking place.
Marriage papers are to be submitted to our Chancery Office no more than six months ahead of – but a minimum of three months before – the date of the wedding. (Should they arrive later than the minimum three months required, we cannot guarantee that the marriage papers will be processed in time). Therefore, it is advisable to contact your local parish priest to discuss the marriage preparation process before making any wedding arrangements, especially if the marriage is to take place outside of England and Wales.
An acknowledgement email is sent to the Parish when the marriage papers have been processed and posted to the receiving Diocese.
Any queries regarding your marriage papers should be referred to your Parish Priest, who will make an enquiry, if necessary, on your behalf to our Chancery Office. We do not deal with enquiries from couples directly.
Celebrets
The Chancery Office also deals with queries regarding Celebrets, Testimonials of Suitability, paperwork for Reception into the Church, faculty permissions for clergy and religious, and other matters relating to Canon Law.
Contact
All queries from clergy and religious should be sent by email, using the diocesan email addresses for the Diocesan Chancellor (and cc’d to Chancery Administrator as necessary).
*Please note that all marriage paperwork, and enquiries from parishes relating to marriage documents, will be processed on Monday mornings, when the Chancellor has administration support.
To proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ and build the Kingdom of God in Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Slough.
