Sacrament of Holy Matrimony
"The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament."
-Catechism of the Catholic Church 1601
General Information
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Marriage is an occasion of great importance in the lives of men and women. Because the celebration of marriage for Catholics is more than a simple contract or agreement, but is rather a Sacred Sign - one of the 7 Sacraments - due preparation is needed for couples before they make their vows. This preparation normally takes 6 months.
The marriage between two Catholics is normally celebrated in a Nuptial Mass. Marriage between a Catholic and a non-Catholic but Baptized Christian is celebrated either in a Nuptial Mass or in the Ritual of Marriage outside of Mass. Marriage between a Catholic and non-Baptized person must be celebrated in the ceremony outside of Mass.
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Because Catholics at the moment of their Baptism are subject to all of the laws of the Church, the marriage of Catholics outside of the the Church’s ritual for Marriage without permission is not considered a Marriage.
Couples who have contracted a marriage civilly (before a justice of the peace or a minister of a different denomination without the permission of the bishop) must have their marriages convalidated.
Convalidation is a legal term which essentially means that the marriage which exists civilly must be celebrated by the Church in order to exist in reality.
The celebration of convalidations can look very similar to full weddings or can be done in a private ceremony before a priest and two witnesses.
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Radical Sanation, which means “making healthy at the root”, is a legal process in the Church by which a marriage which had some missing dispensation is retroactively given that dispensation by the bishop so that the marriage can be considered a marriage.
A common example is: a Catholic and a Lutheran get married at a Lutheran church due to the strong religious practice of the Lutheran spouse, the Catholic is unaware that for his/her marriage to be a marriage, he/she must be married in the Church. Years later, the couple can petition the bishops for the dispensation for a mixed religion marriage as well as a dispensation from “Canonical Form” (the Catholic form of marriage). With those two things granted and without having to renew their consent, the couple is considered married from the moment of the consent given at the Lutheran church.
Get Started
Marriage Prep Timeline
Couples seeking Matrimony should plan on the marriage preparation process taking a minimum of 6 months. Under particular circumstances that timeline can be shortened, but any exception to the process must be approved by the pastor. The process generally goes according to the following steps:
Couple contacts the parish and meets with the pastor. At this meeting, the pastor confirms a date with the couple after establishing that they are free to marry.*
Couple begins to do the following, at their own pace:
Marriage prep course online.
Natural Family Planning information session (offered every month).
Meetings with assigned Mentor Couple (involves watching a video series and meeting at least twice with the couple).
Paperwork collection.
Meetings with pastor (to review FOCCUS inventory and theology of Marriage)
*Freedom to Marry is established by the couple answering questions regarding impediments to marriage and also assuring that no previous bonds exist. The marriage preparation timeline may be delayed if one or both of the parties needs to seek an annulment for a previous bond.