Catholic Wedding Clergy

Priests of Catholic Wedding Clergy for Northern California:

Our associate priests are within the Old Catholic faith tradition and officiate at weddings for contemporary and traditional Catholics, the Orthodox, inter-faith and inter-religious with arms open to all in the service of Christ.

Our network of Catholic clergy realize the ever increasing trend toward wedding services that respect and express the feelings of brides and grooms and, therefore, place no undue burdens upon couples. They are able to officiate at weddings in the venue of a couple's choice whether that be in a church, outdoors, in a winery, hotel, country club, on a beach near the ocean, or in the backyard of a friend or relative.

The priests of Catholic Wedding Clergy have the pastoral ability to deal with the often delicate issues of inter-faith and inter-religious marriages as they  help couples cope and resolve sensitive concerns often associated the stresses of blending religious traditions.

Within the context of the Catholic Wedding Rite, our priests are open and able to assist with the desires of each couple.  The sacramental nuptial rite is the central event in all the happiness and celebration that surrounds a wedding day. 

It is suggested that a couple meet at least once prior to the wedding with their priest.  During this meeting, the couple will have the opportunity to discuss the wedding ceremony and other pertinent details surrounding it. There are no required classes or other stipulations that the couple must satisfy to have a priest solemnize their vows.

What is the Process? 

The process begins with a meeting and sharing information which covers all the necessary components of a wedding ceremony. The setting is always friendly and informative. Most couples today desire a personalized ceremony.

Our initial meeting and planning session will cover the Wedding Packet which contains:

• An Outline for the Ceremony listing the order in which events happen during the ceremony. 

• A Discussion on the necessary prerequisites to making a valid marriage contract. 

• An conversation about your religious or spiritual background, or non affiliation thereof, in order to create a ceremony appropriate to your beliefs.

• Suggested readings from which to choose .

• Weding vows to choose from. 

• Discussion of various symbolic rituals. 

• Finalizing your ceremony. 

• Making any revisions or additions you might want. 

• Providing you with my resume and background. 

• Working with your wedding coordinator on the rehearsal, if needed and possible. 

• Officiating on your wedding day, normally arriving one hour early
  to check in with readers, musicians, etc. 

• Coordinating witness signatures for your marriage license. 

• Insturctions for submitting your license for certification.

About  Fr. Bordisso, OSJV

 As the Coordinator of Catholic Wedding Clergy for Northern California, Bishop Bordisso is fondly known as "Father Lou".  His Excellency, The Most Reverend Lou A. Bordisso, currently resides on Mare Island in the Bay Area near San Francisco, California.  Bishop Bordisso is the former Presiding Bishop and current Auxiliary Bishop for the American Catholic Church, Diocese of California.

Fr. Lou is a founding member of the Order of St. John Vianney and serves as the order's Provincial-General.  

Like the vast majority of clergy serving in the Old Catholic/Autocephalous (self-governing) faith tradition, Father Lou is bi-vocational and self-supporting.

Bishop Bordisso has been a licensed marriage and family therapist over twenty years and currently is employed as a Forensic Mental Health Outpatient Supervisor and Clinician.  He has a limited private practice providing psychotherapy, pastoral counseling and spiritual direction (visit www.drloubordisso.com).  He is the former Civilian Employee Assistance Program Administrator and Counseling Psychologist for the Department of the Navy's Military Sealift Command, Pacific. In addition, Bishop Bordisso has served as the President and Executive Director for San Francisco's Father Francis Homeless Project serving youth and young adults in the Tenderloin and Polk-Gulch area.
 
Bishop Bordisso holds a number of academic degrees, including: a Doctorate in Counseling and Educational Psychology (Ed.D.) from the University of San Francisco, obtained in 1988. His Masters of Divinity is from the Franciscan School of Theology, Berkeley, California at the Graduate Theological Union was obtained in 1997.  He also holds a Masters in Marriage and Family Counseling from the University of San Francisco obtained in 1979. Finally, his Bachelor of Arts degree is held in Social Welfare from California State University, Sacramento, having graduated in 1977.

Prior to having been received into the Old Catholic faith tradition for the Diocese of Califonria as an American Catholic, Fr. Lou was a Vowed Religious with the Society of the Divine Savior (Salvatorians), a Roman Catholic religious order.

In addition to officiating at weddings, Father Lou also ministers among the terminally ill, aged, the grieving, and provides a wide range of pastoral and spiritual care. He is known for his compassion, warmth, sense of humor, and service among the People of God.