Weddings and Marriage

The Christmas season, with its feeling of wonder and awe, is now over, but for some, the fun is just beginning. Because the holidays are a time to show those you love just how much you care, many couples get engaged at Christmas.

For Catholics, marriage is a vocation, a calling, and one which should begin in the Church. For that reason, most Catholic Churches request that before you book the reception hall and call the caterer, you should make arrangements to meet with the priest or deacon. Why is that?

The engaged couple needs to understand that when a wedding is celebrated in the Church, there is another level of relationship, one that involves God and the Church community. A Catholic wedding is an act of worship that takes place in the midst of a Christian community. In living out their vows, husband and wife share in Christ’s paschal mystery by dying to their own desires so as to live for each other and their children. Their marriage reflects Christ’s relationship with the Church.

A church wedding touches the couple, their families, and friends in an especially intimate way, but it also affects the local parish and the larger Church. This is what the bishops at the Second Vatican Council meant when they said, “Liturgical services are not private functions but are celebrations of the Church which is ‘the sacrament of unity.’” Catholic weddings are parish liturgies and though one may need an invitation to attend the reception, the wedding liturgy is a celebration open to all.

When you call Risen Savior to talk about your upcoming wedding, you and your fiancé will be asked to set up a meeting with the deacon or pastoral minister to talk about the Catholic understanding of the sacrament of Matrimony, including the sanctity of marriage and the expectation that children will be welcomed.

While many couples and their families are focused on the wedding day, the Church is looking ahead to the marriage and how to best prepare the couple for their lifetime together. After the initial meeting, the engaged couple is expected to attend marriage preparation classes and meet with a sponsor couple. This necessary period of marriage education, which focuses on practical issues like finances, communication, and family dynamics, is why couples should contact the parish at least six months prior to the wedding date they prefer.

A wedding is a holy celebration, the beginning of a vocation to marriage, and the Church offers vital support to couples who are answering the call to married life.