Marriage

Marriage is considered a Sacrament by Catholics because it is the visible sign of God’s union with His bride, the Church.

The Sacrament of Marriage

What is the sacrament of marriage?

Marriage in the Catholic Church, also called matrimony, is the “covenant by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring”, and which “has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament between the baptised.” Catechism of the Catholic Church

Why is Marriage important in the Church?

The Catechism of the Catholic Church also states: “The intimate community of life and love which constitutes the married state has been established by the Creator and endowed by him with its own proper laws. . . . God himself is the author of marriage. The vocation to marriage is written in the very nature of man and woman as they came from the hand of the Creator. Marriage is not a purely human institution despite the many variations it may have undergone through the centuries in different cultures, social structures, and spiritual attitudes. These differences should not cause us to forget its common and permanent characteristics. Although the dignity of this institution is not transparent everywhere with the same clarity, some sense of the greatness of the matrimonial union exists in all cultures. The well-being of the individual person and of both human and Christian society is closely bound up with the healthy state of conjugal and family life.”

So where does scripture come into it?

It also says: “The Church attaches great importance to Jesus’ presence at the wedding at Cana. She sees in it the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation that thenceforth marriage will be an efficacious sign of Christ’s presence. In his preaching Jesus unequivocally taught the original meaning of the union of man and woman as the Creator willed it from the beginning: permission given by Moses to divorce one’s wife was a concession to the hardness of hearts. The matrimonial union of man and woman is indissoluble; God himself has determined it, ‘what therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder’. This unequivocal insistence on the indissolubility of the marriage bond may have left some perplexed and could seem to be a demand impossible to realize. However, Jesus has not placed on spouses a burden impossible to bear, or too heavy – heavier than the Law of Moses. By coming to restore the original order of creation disturbed by sin, he himself gives the strength and grace to live marriage in the new dimension of the Reign of God.”

I am engaged and would like to get Married in the church

That is GREAT NEWS

Firstly, a valid Catholic marriage results from four elements:

(1) the spouses are free to marry;

(2) they freely exchange their consent;

(3) in consenting to marry, they have the intention to marry for life, to be faithful to one another and be open to children; and

(4) their consent is given in the canonical form, i.e., in the presence of two witnesses and before a properly authorized church minister.

Exceptions to the last requirement must be approved by church authority. The Church provides preparation classes several months before marriage to help the participants inform their consent.

To discuss you plans and arrange marriage preperation classes please contact the parish priest