Why Get Married in the Church?

Sacraments have both a personal and Church dimension. While the wedding surely has deep personal meaning for the bride and groom and their families, the wider church has a stake in their marriage. Their sacrament builds up the whole Body of Christ.

Ceremony Options

FAQ Weddings

Convalidaton

If a couple has already been married in a civil ceremony and wishes to bring their marriage to the Church in the Sacrament of Matrimony, they may celebrate a convalidation of their marriage. The benefits of convalidation are enormous: peace of heart, oneness with the Church, reception of the Sacrament of Matrimony and God's grace to help them live out their marriage well. It is best to speak with your local parish about the process to have your marriage convalidated.

Getting Married in the Church

Marriage_Interior

A Christian marriage is

Sacramental, because a couple consents to mutually give and accept each other in a covenant relationship. This conjugal covenant is a sacrament for it is rooted in baptism, developed in faith, nourished by the sacramental activity of the Church, and transformed by the redemptive love of Christ and the Church.

Resources for Weddings and more

Permanent and life long, because marital love is rooted in the conjugal covenant of irrevocable personal consent. Married spouses are called each day to realize this covenant through mutual fidelity and conjugal love.

Open to growth in love and understanding, and to life in harmony and fidelity within the community of the People of God, as well as total life long fidelity to one another.

Committed to generous and responsible parenthood, working together in partnership with God to raise loving, responsible children.

Your relationship in marriage is not static; it takes your gifts and talents as individuals and develops them in a new partnership blessed by God. This partnership offers you the strength to face the day-to-day realities of married life, and provides a vision of what love can be.

To live this type of life requires special help and strength. Your marriage should be celebrated, after careful preparation, with the greatest joy, and with much prayer.

Resources for Engaged Couples

If a couple has already been married in a civil ceremony and wishes to bring their marriage to the Church in the Sacrament of Matrimony, they may celebrate a convalidation of their marriage.Their reasons for not marrying before a Catholic priest or deacon vary. Many couples judged either that it was impossible to wed in the Church because of their circumstances or that the tribunal process would be too costly or lengthy. Other couples indicated that they simply were in a hurry or felt stressed by various factors. Marriage in the Catholic Church seemed to be an additional complication. Some couples had not been active and practicing Catholics when they married outside the Church. A Church marriage was not, therefore, a significant priority for them. Some dreaded a scolding by a priest because they had not been practicing their religion. For any couple who completes the necessary preparations for convalidation, the priest or deacon tailors the celebration to the couple's wishes. Most people opt for a simple ceremony. Regardless of why couples marry outside the Church and later seek a Church wedding, the benefits of convalidation are enormous: peace of heart, oneness with the Church, reception of the Sacrament of Matrimony and God's special blessing upon the marriage.