Our Churches
We have three beautiful churches in our parish! They have all been restored and upgraded in recent years. A word about them:
ENNISKEANE CHURCH
 | The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Enniskeane, was dedicated in 1872 and is our parish church. Its neo-gothic sandstone spire points to the heavens over Enniskeane village. It has a fully restored and functioning beautiful pipe-organ which was built in London in 1878. The church comfortably seats 370 people on the ground floor. It is fully accessible. Some seating is removable chairs. There is an outside set of three toilets – one is fully accessible. The church has a hearing-assist loop. There is on-site parking for 63 cars. It is fully heated and fully insured. |
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AHIOHILL CHURCH
| The Church of the Assumption, Ahiohill, is located 15 minutes to the south of Enniskeane and 15 minutes from Clonakilty. It is at the edge of a small village and was dedicated in 1832. It is a traditional and intimate space and comfortably accommodates 160 people on the ground floor with room for an additional 30 in the gallery where a traditional pipe-organ is located. The ground floor is fully accessible. It is fully heated. There is a toilet in the sacristy (not accessible). Parking is road-side and in the village. |  |
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CASTLETOWN KINNEIGH CHURCH
 | St. Joseph’s Church at Castletown Kinneigh is located ten minutes to the north of Enniskeane and just five minutes off the Cork-Bantry road. It was dedicated in 1859 and was designed by Br Michael Augustin Riordan. It was completely refurbished and redecorated and made fully accessible in 2017. It seats 230 people on the ground floor with room for a further 30 in the gallery. Some of the seating is removable chairs. It is fully heated. Attached it has accessible toilets and a wheelchair ramp. It has a hearing-assist loop. Parking is on the roadway and in the village. |
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Click here to locate it on a map.
To book one of our churches for your wedding:
Check if the date is available by contacting the parish office at parishoffice@enniskeaneparish.ie If the date you want is available, the Parish will record your name(s), contact details, the name of the officiating priest or deacon and, ideally, a time. That space will then be reserved for your wedding, assuming that no obstacle arises in the meantime which may prevent the ceremony going ahead. When the details are verified with the parish, please complete the Marriage Booking Form here.
It’s best to book the church before you place a deposit for a reception.
When can we marry?
Because Sundays and *Holy Days are the days when the faith community gathers for worship, weddings are not celebrated in the Diocese of Cork and Ross on those days. A few other days (Christmas Day, Ash Wednesday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Saturday) are logically excluded, but you can choose from the other 300+ days of the year!
*Church Holy Days (on which weddings are not celebrated in our parish) are Jan 6th, March 17th, Aug 15th, Nov 1st, Dec 8th. Nov 2nd is a day of Commemoration of the Faithful Departed and the first day of our Novena for the Holy Souls so we do not have weddings on that day.
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Who officiates?
The choice of priest or deacon who officiates at your ceremony is yours so long as he is in verifiable good standing. It does not have to be the priest or deacon of the church where the wedding takes place. If he is a visitor to our parish, he will be authorised by the parish priest to officiate at the ceremony. Before giving this authorisation, the parish priest is required by church safeguarding standards to satisfy himself of the priest’s credentials.
The visiting priest will be asked to present an acceptable form of photo-ID and a current celebret (a standard statement from the priest’s bishop or superior verifying that he is in good standing). If you wish, you may invite other priests to concelebrate. The celebret requirement also applies to concelebrants.
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What Paperwork do we need?
You need two sets of paperwork: one required by the state and one required by the Catholic Church.
Irish law requires each couple to give at least three months notice of intention to marry to a civil registrar. The registrar’s office notifies the parish and provides the couple with the essential Marriage Registration Form. For full details on this, please see details from the HSE here.
The priest responsible for each Catholic Church has authority over the marriage ceremonies conducted there. As well as verifying that the celebrant is in good standing, he must also establish that there is no impediment to the marriage taking place. This requirement is fulfilled by each person getting married having a Prenuptial Inquiry Form completed by the priest of their current parish (i.e the parish where they now live). That priest will advise on what paperwork is required (it varies from country to country and from diocese to diocese).
A couple planning marriage should notify the priest(s) of their current parish(es) at least six months ahead of the proposed marriage date. The Prenuptial Inquiry and associated paperwork is sent by the priest who completes it to the Parish Priest of Enniskeane.
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Planning the Ceremony?
The structure and content of the liturgy for the day of your marriage is planned with the officiating priest – and before any decisions are made about booklets, readings, music, prayers, etc.
It is also advisable that a brief rehearsal with the officiating priest be held in advance of the ceremony at the church. Kindly advise the Parish Office of your plans so that access to the church can be arranged and to avoid a conflict with another event in the church.
Decorating the Church
At all times, please be sensitive to the fact that our churches are, first of all, places in which to worship God. Catholic marriage ceremonies are held in the church because we seek to model married love on the love of God for us.
Each of our churches has a team of volunteers who decorate our churches and will be happy to assist you, if you wish. Contact them via the parish office.
Basics requirements:
- Arrangements of flowers may not be placed on the main altar.
- Adhesive tape is not to be used anywhere in the church.
- You may not remove any of the church’s fixtures or fittings, including candelabras. (You may use the church’s vases.)
- Please do not place containers with candles or other trip hazards on the floor.
You will be made welcome in our churches. Feel free to contact us with any questions you have.
Getting a Papal Blessing from Rome
The Sacrament of Marriage is a very public event and it also has implications in the whole Christian Community. The couple is undertaking to give witness to the love of God by expressing their love for one another and for all people. The whole Church rejoices with the couple in their love and in their prayer for a happy life together.
Many couples wish to have this expressed in the Papal Blessing. This is a parchment script which is signed in Rome on behalf of the Pope, in which the Pope prays for the couple’s happiness. It is customary to have it read at the end of the Wedding Ceremony.
Couples order it directly from the Vatican at this link. (Please note for delivery the spelling of Enniskean must be without the “e”)
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Money Offerings for the church
The church part is certain to be the least expensive part of your day! A donation that is given to offset the costs of keeping and running the building is always appreciated. As well as preparing the church by cleaning it, the church running costs include light, heat, decoration, parking and insurance for you and your guests (Note that any service providers whom you hire for the day need to have their public liability insurance in place as the parish insurance does not cover them.) The offering you provide for the church goes towards the maintenance of the church buildings.
If one of the people getting married is currently resident in our parish and contributes to the parish’s weekly collections, you are welcome to get married in our churches without any offerings for the church. If you both currently reside elsewhere and wish to avail of one of our churches for your marriage ceremony, you will be welcome, also. In this case, we ask you to consider an offering of €150 for the use of the church on the day.
Please don’t forget that there will be a sacristan who volunteers to prepare the church for your wedding, sets up the altar for Mass, and helps clean up and tidy-up afterwards, and in the process spends up to four ours of time at your service. Please show your appreciation by leaving a gratuity for the sacristan. Our suggestion is €50.
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Money Offerings for the priest
Priests do not charge hourly rates or fees. They rely on the voluntary offerings of the parishioners. These offerings are made at set times throughout the year (parish dues) and at times when particular services are rendered (baptism, marriage, blessings, funerals, etc).
It is helpful to note that you will receive the following services/supports from the priest(s) involved in your wedding plans:
a) Time spent at initial meeting to arrange dates/venue.
b) Time spent preparing and planning the ceremony (and booklet) with you.
c) Time spent conducting the rehearsal.
d) Time spent ensuring that all necessary paperwork is in order.
e) Time spent preparing the church and officiating at the ceremony on the day.
Having considered these factors, the priest who officiates at your ceremony will normally have invested at least six hours of his time and expertise with you (not counting travel or attendance at a function). A guideline figure for the offering to the priest is people give between €200-500.
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