Matrimony

To be married sacramentally couples should contact one of the priests at least six months prior to the requested date. Pre-marriage preparation is required. Call Fr. Bob for more details.

When contemplating marriage...

...the couple should contact one of the parish priests at least six months before the intended date of marriage.  At the initial meeting, a pamphlet regarding the diocesan guidelines for marriage and spiritual preparations will be discussed and questions about the music, decorations, etc. may be addressed.  If anyone was previously married, annulment procedures must also be discussed.  The nature and status and time involved for an annulment differs greatly depending on many specifies.  We would suggest that anyone who has had a previous marriage, even if not contemplating remarriage in the immediate future, should come and talk things over with one of our priests.  It is important to note that deacons may officiate at marriages.  This is especially important in our  parish when our Deacon, the Rev. Mr. Jack Layton, is available.

Pre-marriage instruction is a diocesan requiement. Couples can contact Mary Lou Fraticelli at 724.941.4230 to register for our parish program.

What are rules for marriage in the Church?

In today’s world, weddings are big business. For us, marriage is a sacrament. So the first rule for marriage is to remember what we believe about this sacrament. Like all sacramental celebrations, the Church desires the rite to be done in a way that is dignified and consistent with our belief. A church wedding is about the call from Christ to live a vocation. The fairy tale wedding (i.e. Queen for a day, the Princess Bride) has no place in the Church. A procession of haute couture attendants that doesn’t include the whole wedding party and even families makes no sense with what we believe and teach since marriage is connected so intimately with family life. When people come asking for strange requests like pop music they are not understanding the sacramental nature of marriage. If the focus gets placed on non-essentials like flowers, dresses and receptions, then the real reason of the celebration gets overlooked. It certainly is important to demonstrate that this is a special day and that’s why we dress up and decorate, throw a party, and all that, but the reason behind those exterior things is the interior reality of two becoming one in Christ and being a sign of Christ’s love for his Church (Letter to the Ephesians).

The second rule is that a baptized Catholic (the white dress is connected to baptism) is expected to marry according to the canons; that is, in the presence of a priest or deacon, and two other witnesses, in a Catholic church, not in a park or garden or hot air balloon. That’s what makes a marriage valid and it’s a precept of the Church as discussed in a previous lesson. With the proper permission, a Catholic may marry a person of another Christian faith in another Christian church, or a non–Christian in a neutral location, but the necessary premarital instructions, counseling and the promise to share the Catholic faith with any children born of the union is still required. The pre-marriage preparation is intended as a time to enter discussion about what it means to live this vocation. Sometimes couples don’t see their call from God to live as married people as the way they are fulfilling God’s plan for their lives. If the church wedding is selected by those who have little or no connection to the Church’s ordinary life—they hardly come to Mass or receive the sacraments—one might wonder why it is important. We sometimes wonder if it is just the “big show” people are looking to create without the true intention to be a sign of Christ’s love. Marriage is important and we always want to do what we can to support those called to live this sacrament.