Sacrament of Matrimony

Click the image for information on Mt. Alvernia's Catholic Engaged Encounter retreats.

Since Catholic marriage requires a time of preparation, arrangements should begin at least six months before the proposed date of the wedding to allow for the Marriage Preparation Program.  Please contact the Rectory Office to begin the process.

Married Life as Vocation

• For Your Marriage: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops marriage website that provides information, skills, inspiration and resources to help your marriage grow. Por Tu Matrimonio: Un espacio para inspirar, ayudar y exhortar a las parejas de habla hispana a vivir más plenamente su relación de pareja.
• Couple Prayer: A program to help married or engaged couples learn how to pray together safely, closely, comfortably and consistently.
• How to Keep Love Going Strong – 7 Principles On The Road To Happily Ever After: a poster from Yes! Magazine
• Institute for Marital Healing: Strengthens Catholic marriages and families by educating spouses, marital therapists and clergy about common causes of conflicts in marital self-giving and effective approaches to alleviating such conflicts
• Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan (abridged version) – in November 2009 the U.S. Catholic Bishops approved this pastoral letter which brings together the Church’s key teachings on marriage as both a natural gift and a sacrament. The letter discusses several contemporary challenges to marriage and how the Church addresses those challenges.  The full version is here.
• Marriage: Unique for a Reason: offers resources to assist with the education and catechesis of Catholics on why marriage is unique and why it should be promoted and protected as the union of one man and one woman.

Because Christian marriage is a sacrament, the Catholic Church wants couples to be well-prepared. Dioceses and parishes offer marriage preparation to help couples develop a better understanding of the sacrament; to evaluate and deepen their readiness to live married life; and to gain insights into themselves as individuals and as a couple.

Marriage preparation programs take different forms. Some couples attend a weekend retreat; others are matched with a "sponsor couple"; and others participate in a series of marriage preparation classes offered by their parish or diocese. The important thing for engaged couples to keep in mind as they check numerous items off their pre-wedding "to-do" list is the well-known adage, "Your wedding lasts a day, but your marriage lasts a lifetime." The Church encourages couples to invest time and energy into the all-important work of preparing for their married life together.

For couples planning to marry in the Catholic Church, please contact your parish priest six to nine months before your anticipated wedding date to begin the marriage preparation process.

RESOURCES ON THE FOR YOUR MARRIAGE WEBSITE:

• Marriage Readiness
• "About Catholic Marriage" FAQs
• Engaged Couples' FAQs
• Getting Married in the Catholic Church: steps and timeline
• Marriage Preparation Programs (nationwide and online) 
• Second Marriages (after death or annulment)
• Convalidation: Bringing Your Marriage Into The Church (for couples married civilly outside the Church)

OTHER USCCB RESOURCES ON MARRIAGE PREPARATION:

Strategies for encouraging Catholics to marry in the Church (2014)

Consultation on marriage preparation (2006)

Analysis of diocesan marriage preparation policies (2005)

Marriage Preparation and Cohabiting Couples