Matrimony
“It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.... The two of them become one body.” (Genesis 2:18; 24)
Why is Matrimony considered a Sacrament?
Sacred Scripture and the Sacred Tradition of the Church teach that Christian marriage is a lifelong, exclusive, and fruitful covenant between a man and a woman that reflects the bond between Christ and his Church.
Jesus said to the Pharisees, "From the beginning of creation, 'God made them male and female. 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."
Mark 10:6-9
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her. Ephesians 5:25
The Sacrament of Matrimony joins a baptized man and a baptized woman in a covenant for life. It is by God's own design that marriage is permanent and exclusive, for the Book of Genesis describes how our first parents were created in the state of marriage. Christ cited Genesis to affirm that marriage is meant to be a lifelong and faithful union, and he raised natural marriage to the dignity of a Sacrament between a baptized man and woman (cf. CIC 1055 §1; cf. GS 48). (Cf. CCC 1303, 1611,1638)
In the Western Church the man and woman themselves are considered the ministers of the Sacrament of Matrimony. In giving their mutual consent with the Church—represented by her minister, a deacon, priest, or bishop—as their witness, they confer the sacramental graces upon their union. These graces enable them to share the same self-sacrificing love of Christ and his Bride, the Church, an image described by Saint Paul. Specifically, matrimonial grace strengthens the couple for the challenges of marital life, especially regarding the education and formation of children. Moreover, Matrimony confers graces to grow in holiness and charity in a spirit of forgiveness, patience, and service. (Cf. CCC 1603,1617,1620,1642)
Marriage is ordered toward the good of the couple. A husband and a wife in a Christian marriage are to help sanctify one another so each may one day receive eternal life. It is also ordered to the begetting and formation of children, the fruits of marriage. Sexual intimacy, which must always be reserved for the bond of marriage serves to express and unify the love of the couple and must remain open to the conception of children, "the supreme gift of marriage." (Cf. CCC 1652,2201, 2225)
A valid sacramental marriage cannot be dissolved. Only when an investigation by the competent ecclesiastical tribunal reveals that validity was lacking can the Church declare a marriage null; this annulment is not akin to divorce, which claims to end a marriage, but rather a statement that a valid union never existed. (Cf. CCC 1629, 2382-2386)
-The
Didache Bible
A Message from Our Priest
The Sacrament of Matrimony is a sacred promise, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a life long partnership whose purpose is the good of the spouses and procreation and education of offspring (children) .
Your decision to be married in the Catholic Church is an important one. In doing so you proclaim to the Christian community and to God your love for one another. Being married in the Catholic Church is a public celebration. You ask for and are guaranteed the prayers and support of the Christian community. Through the publication of banns in our weekly bulletin, the parish will know of your upcoming wedding.
To be married in the Catholic Church implies you understand marriage is a sacrament, a gift of God’s love, blessing, and presence. Because your marriage is a sacrament, you and the parish share the responsibility of sacramental preparation. That is why you participate in a Pre-Marriage Inventory (FOCCUS) and a Marriage Preparation Program (Pre-Cana) as well as scheduled meetings with the priest or Marriage Preparation Couple working with you. We will help you prepare for receiving the Sacrament of Matrimony.
The Sacrament of Matrimony is a sacred promise, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a life long
As you prepare for marriage, we urge you to worship together, regularly, participating in Mass and praying together, asking God to bless you both and keep you free from worry, full of happiness and anticipation before your wedding.
We want your wedding to be beautiful, memorable and meaningful. Don’t hesitate to talk to us about what we can do to make it so.
May God bless you in your marriage.
Administrator of Saint Michael The Archangel Parish
Please contact us to schedule an appointment to begin the wedding planning process.
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.
-Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1603
God is the Author of Marriage
Sacred Scripture begins with the creation and union of man and woman and ends with “the wedding feast of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:7, 9).
Scripture often refers to marriage, its origin and purpose, the meaning God gave to it, and its renewal in the covenant made by Jesus with his Church.
God created man and woman out of love and commanded them to
imitate his love in their relations with each other. Man and woman were created for each other.
“It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.... The two of them become one body.”
Genesis 2:18; 24
Woman and man are equal in human dignity, and in marriage both are united in an unbreakable bond.
-United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
Christ's Teaching on Marriage
On the threshold of his public life Jesus performs his first sign—at his mother's request—during a wedding feast. 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."
-Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1613-1614
The Understanding of Marriage in Contemporary Society
There are attempts by some in contemporary society to change the definition or understanding of what exactly constitutes marriage. Efforts to gain approval for and acceptance of same sex unions as marriages are examples. While the Church clearly teaches that discrimination against any group of people is wrong, efforts to make cohabitation, domestic partnerships, same-sex unions, and polygamous unions equal to marriage are misguided and also wrong.
The Church and her members need to continue to be a strong and clear voice in protecting an understanding of marriage, which is rooted in natural law and revealed in God's law.
-United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
What are the effects of the Sacrament of Marriage?
The first effect of the Sacrament of Matrimony is the gift of the bond between the spouses. “The consent by which the spouses mutually give and receive one another is sealed by God himself” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1639). “The marriage bond has been established by God himself in such a way that a marriage concluded and consummated between baptized persons can never be dissolved” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1640).
The grace of this Sacrament perfects the love of husband and wife, binds them together in fidelity, and helps them welcome and care for children. Christ is the source of this grace and he dwells with the spouses to strengthen their covenant promises, to bear each other’s burdens with forgiveness and kindness, and to experience ahead of time the “wedding
feast of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9).
-United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
God created man and woman out of love and commanded them to imitate his love in their relations with each other. Man and woman were created for each other…Woman and man are equal in human dignity, and in marriage both are united in an unbreakable bond.
(United States Catholic Catechism for Adults)
Marriage is a Covenant
The Sacrament of Marriage is a covenantal union in the image of the covenants between God and his people with Abraham and later with Moses at Mount Sinai. This divine covenant can never be broken. In this way, marriage is a union that bonds spouses together during their entire lifetime.
The sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace of the sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1661)
The love in a married relationship is exemplified in the total gift of one’s self to another. It’s this self-giving and self-sacrificing love that we see in our other model of marriage, the relationship between Christ and the Church.
Helpful and Insightful Guidance for couples at all stages of life
"For Your Marriage" helps couples at all stages of life to understand and live God’s plan for happy, holy marriages by providing educational and spiritual resources.
The
"For Your Marriage" website was launched in 2007 as part of the National Pastoral Initiative for Marriage, an initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to communicate the meaning and value of married life for the Church and for society.
If you’re looking for reliable advice on preparing for marriage well, you’ve come to the right place. Here you’ll find guidance on dating, great conversations to have when things get serious, tips on wedding planning, and more.
All marriages can grow in knowledge, faith, joy, and love. Whether you are just starting out in marriage or have fifty years under your belt, the advice, real life stories, and Church teaching here can help strengthen and bless your marriage.
Content in this section can help families become places of prayer and faith (domestic Churches) and navigate the challenges that come with parenting, extended family relationships, caregiving, and more.
Natural Planning for Couples
Mission
Helping married couples to deepen conjugal love and achieve responsible parenthood is part of the Church's total pastoral ministry to Catholic spouses. Fulfillment of this ministry includes both education and pastoral care. This means "instilling conviction and offering practical help to those who wish to live out their parenthood in a truly responsible way" (Familiaris consortio, 35).
God designed marriage as an "intimate partnership of life and love" (see Gaudium et spes, no. 48). In God's design, marriage is a unique union of one man with one woman "for the whole of life" (see Canon 1055, The Code of Canon Law). Marriage is oriented to the good of the spouses and to the creation and nurture of new human life (see Gaudium et spes, no. 48).
Making decisions therefore, about when and how many children to have in marriage is a sacred responsibility that God has entrusted to husband and wife. This is the foundation of what the Church calls, "Responsible Parenthood," the call to discern God's will for your marriage while respecting His design for life and love.
The Catholic Church supports the methods of Natural Family Planning (NFP) because they respect God's design for married love. In fact, NFP represents the only authentic approach to family planning available to husbands and wives because these methods can be used to both attempt or avoid pregnancy.
