The Sacrament of Marriage:

As a large parish in a growing area, we receive many calls and requests regarding  the celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage.  As a sacrament, it is imperative that couples first participate in a period of preparation.  The diocese specifies a period of at least six months of notification prior to the marriage. 
     
The Church recommends that Catholics celebrate their marriage in the parish church in which they are registered.  With the pastor’s permission, a parishioner may celebrate the marriage in another parish.  This is often the case when one desires to return to the parish where other family members reside.  In mixed marriages, the bishop may permit the marriage to be celebrated in the church of a non-Catholic.  In a mixed marriage, the Catholic spouse expresses the intention of continuing to live the Faith in the Catholic Church and to strive to share that Faith with any future children by having them baptized and raised as Catholics.  In the marriage preparation, it is sometimes appropriate for there to be some pastoral challenge for those who have fallen away from the practice of the Faith or for those who are cohabitating.  Those entrusted with the care of souls strive to convey the teachings of the Church.  The celebration of Matrimony is not simply a day in a life, but a continuation of the life of grace that began at baptism.  It is the ideal that all Catholics spouses celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony in a state of grace which means that the Sacrament of Penance should be an essential part of their preparation.
    
There are two celebrations for the Sacrament, which are the Nuptial Mass and the ‘simple’ Ceremony, which does not include the Communion Rite.  From the Catholic perspective, permanency, exclusivity, and faithfulness are essential to marriage because they foster and protect the two equal purposes of marriage.  These two purposes are growth in mutual love between the spouses (unitive) and the generation and education of children (procreative). 

Parents, children, and family members form what is called a domestic church or church of the home.  This is the primary unit of the Church - the place where the Church lives in the daily love, care, hospitality, sacrifice, forgiveness, prayer and faith of ordinary families.

To start the process of the Sacrament of Marriage or to begin your marriage preparation, please call the Parish Office to schedule a meeting with Fr. Mark Lawlor, pastor, 704-664-3992 [email protected]

Please Note:

If you or your spouse has previous marriage(s) in the church, by other faith ministers, or civil authorities, and the former spouse is still living, you will need to go through the process of annulling the previous marriage(s). This process is required by people marrying in the church or joining the Catholic Church [OCIA] who have previous marriages and have remarried.

For discussion or information on previous marriages you may speak with a priest or deacon, or contact our parish advocate, Joyce Eckart at [email protected] or 704-650-0917, or call the Parish Office.