Congratulations on your engagement. Our pastoral staff is here to help you prepare for a beautiful life in the Sacrament of Marriage.
Preparing for Marriage is called "sacramental formation" where a couple begins to learn and prepare for the life long commitment of answering God's call to Marriage. The program of formation includes several meetings with the Priest, attendance at a workshop called pre-Cana, and the use of an inventory instrument so that the couple can identify their strengths, weakness and formulate a plan for ongoing growth.
A wedding date is not given until after the first meeting with the Priest. Formation of the couple takes a minimum of 6 months prior to the agreed upon wedding date. To schedule your first meeting with the Priest. Please call the parish office at (919) 570-0070.
A typical plan of formation for the sacrament of marriage may include the following:
1. The initial meeting with the Priest, couple shares their story and they are given instructions for online inventory and workshop registration
2. A discussion about the importance of establishing a prayer life together, a take-home workbook is given to the couple.
3. Review of Part I of the workbook and a discussion on the difference between contract and covenant.
4. Couple brings new copies of their baptismal certificates and discusses communication, fertility and the moral life.
5. An exploration of the theology of the sacrament of Marriage based on John Chapter 2 and Ephesians 5
6. A review of the couple inventory, confirmation that the couple has attended the workshop and selection of readings.
7. The couple begins working with the Director of Music and Wedding Coordinator to finalize the ceremony details.
Please note: The couple is responsible for making their appointments, completing their online inventory, registering for the workshop through the diocesan website, obtaining your marriage license from the county and handling any fees with the the parish bookkeeper. Persons who are previously married or couples who have special circumstances may have a slightly different plan of formation and timetable. The above plan of formation is given only as a guide.
Our parish rejoices with you as God's beautiful call to the married life begins to blossom.
Sacred Scripture begins with the creation and union of man and woman and ends with "the wedding feast of the Lamb" (Rev 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 that the man should be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him. . . . The two of them become one body" (Gn 2:18; 24). Woman and man are equal in human dignity, and in marriage both are united in an unbreakable bond.
Jesus brought to full awareness the divine plan for marriage. In John’s Gospel, Christ’s first miracle occurs at the wedding in Cana. “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” (CCC, no. 1613).
By their marriage, the couple witnesses Christ's spousal love for the Church. One of the Nuptial Blessings in the liturgical celebration of marriage refers to this in saying, "Father, you have made the union of man and wife so holy a mystery that it symbolizes the marriage of Christ and his Church.
The Sacrament of Marriage is a covenant, which is more than a contract. Covenant always expresses a relationship between persons. The marriage covenant refers to the relationship between the husband and wife, a permanent union of persons capable of knowing and loving each other and God. The celebration of marriage is also a liturgical act, appropriately held in a public liturgy at church. Catholics are urged to celebrate their marriage within the Eucharistic Liturgy.
From USCCB.org
Newly engaged couples should visit our marriage preparation page for more information. To schedule your first appointment for Marriage Formation call (919) 570-0070 Ext. 104