Dear Friends in Christ,
Congratulations on your engagement! In seeking to be married in the Catholic Church, you are publicly proclaiming your faith in the Lord Jesus and asking to live as disciples of Christ in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. A Christian wedding is above all else an act of worship, and our parish staff will help you prepare both for that happy day and for the lifetime of marriage that follows your nuptial liturgy.
Our program of marriage preparation is designed to help prepare you to embrace the responsibilities of married love with freedom, joy, and integrity, and from the beginning of marriage preparation, six full months must elapse before the earliest possible date for your wedding. The first step, however, is to determine whether or not you are eligible to be married at St Mary’s, and to do that please contact Pastoral Associate Deacon Joe Sanfilippo.
All of the sacraments, including the sacrament of Holy Matrimony, are instruments of grace which can have their intended effect in our lives only if we first believe and live the liberating truth of the Gospel. For this reason, the first stage of marriage preparation is discipleship training: What does it mean to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ and a member of his Catholic Church? Why am I a Catholic Christian? How do I live the Gospel? Am I prepared to follow Christ in the Way of the Cross all the days of my life through radical conversion, deep fidelity, joyful discipleship, and courageous evangelism?
Only when we know the answer to these questions is it possible to speak with integrity about the meaning of the sacraments, including the sacrament of Holy Matrimony, and seeking answers to these questions long before we speak of your wedding day is how we best help couples build strong, healthy, Christ-centered marriages to last a lifetime.
Father Jay Scott Newman
Pastor