The Sacrament of Matrimony

Christian Marriage
Seen with the eyes of faith, the marriage of a Christian man and woman includes two dimensions. The first is covenant. In freely consenting to enter into an intimate equal partnership of life and love, the couple establishes a covenant between themselves and before the society in which they live. They agree to give themselves to each other and for each other. The second is sacrament. People of faith see in this covenant between a husband and wife a sign or image of the covenant that God has entered into with the Church, through the person of Jesus Christ. The love of a husband and wife symbolizes the love Christ showed for the church. Couples entering a civil marriage do not make this commitment. Making this commitment requires that a couple have a faith that is alive and active.

A Community Celebration
Since a wedding liturgy celebrates God’s covenant with the Church as expressed in a couple’s marriage, it follows that the liturgy is never a private affair. It is something that involves the whole parish community. As the teaching church reminds us, “liturgical services are not private functions but are celebrations of the Church which is the sacrament of unity.” (CLS, #26) The wedding should be planned and celebrated keeping this in mind.

Time
The celebration of a wedding is not encouraged during the season of Lent or Advent. Lent is a time of universal penance in preparation for Easter and the feasting and festivity of a wedding are out of character during this time. Advent is a period of meditative preparation for Christmas and a wedding could prove to be a distraction from the church’s prayer. If a wedding must take place during these seasons, however, the church asks the couple to respect the special nature of these seasons. In addition, in Canada, the Church discourages weddings on Sundays, during Holy Week or on holy days of obligation.

Advance Notice
In the Archdiocese of St. John’s, at least six months notice is required for weddings. No firm arrangements for the celebration of marriage ought to be made before this notice is given. Please make sure you have reserved the date and time of your wedding with the parish before booking a place for a reception or before printing invitations.

Preparation
The Archdiocese of St. John’s requires that all couples follow a program designed to help them prepare for marriage. Normally this preparation is done in the place where the couple resides. For couples who live within the boundaries of our parish, please call the Archdiocese at 726-3660 to arrange your enrolment for this program. For couples who live outside the boundaries of our parish, contact your parish priest for information concerning a marriage preparation course. If the preparation does not include a session on planning and preparing the wedding liturgy, you will also need to meet with the pastor, well in advance of the wedding date.

Six months notice is required. Speak with pastor before making any plans. For more information please contact: Corpus Christi Parish office at 368-9751.