Holy Matrimony

[Jesus] said in reply, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female’ and said, ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.”
- Mt. 19:4-6

Marriage matters. Marriage is mysterious and holy. Marriage is a call and vocation. Marriage is a path to heaven... albeit a messy and rocky one! Marriage is a covenant not a contract.

Men and women in stable marriages experience a lot of happiness. Many people in the modern world believe marriage is an exclusive romantic partnership between two people that love one another. This is a novel idea. Catholic Christians understand marriage to be a sacred covenant between one man and one woman sealed by God in the Church and ordered toward the procreation and education of children.

God created marriage at the dawn of creation and Jesus the Redeemer raised it to the level of a sacrament. Man and woman are created different (they aren’t the same) and complementary (they go together) and called to communion (a one flesh union). Their love for one another points beyond itself to divine, supernatural reality.

Marriage is an icon, a sign, and living theater through which the love Jesus Christ has for His Bride he Church can be manifested to the world. When a couple receives the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony a sacramental bond is formed by the grace and presence of God, the consent of those being married ( “I do”), and their consummation of the marriage through the marital embrace (sex).

The couple is challenged to pray and worship together, accept one another’s faults and failures, communicate imperfectly but effectively, practice the virtues by doing the next right thing, receive lovingly the children God sends them and educate them properly, and work through their problems with the help of God and safe, trustworthy friends and guides.

Shared values are essential, so its of paramount importance for Catholics to consider FAITH when choosing a partner with whom they wish to spend the rest of their lives. It is ESSENTIAL that the couple is invested and committed, rigorously honest, and willing to work on themselves and their problems during the marriage preparation process.

If you wish to get married in the Catholic Church please contact the Parish Office at [email protected] and set up an appointment with the Pastor.

If you are struggling with your marriage and are willing to work on the relationship please tell the truth and ask for help. Go to a marriage retreat, see a therapist, talk to the Pastor, and/or work on yourself and do your own inner work instead of playing the victim and blaming your partner.

Sometimes things fall apart and there are valid reasons to seek an annulment. If you are in need of an annulment please visit the website www.cdom.org then go to Ministry and Chancery Directories, click on Tribunal, and read the Tribunal Brochure for more information.

Contact the Parish Office at [email protected] after reading the Tribunal Brochure and set up an appointment with the Pastor. He will help you get started.