Marriage

Why involve God in marriage?

There are many good reasons to involve God in the marriage of a man and a woman:

  1. Marriage was His idea – he created humanity in his image, in the image of a communion of persons, and man and woman in view of a total unity with each other.
  2. He created it, He knows about what it is better than anyone else, and so He can always teach us more about how to live married life.
  3. only He lives the demands of marriage, total self-gift to the other in view of their good, perfectly.
  4. He knows us better than we know ourselves – so He knows exactly how to help each of us personally live its demands
  5. He instituted a sacrament, the sacrament of marriage, to help us, who are all sinners, to help us live its demands to the full, and to transform our human love for each other into a divine love between us.
  6. God is love, as well as being the creator of all things, and so any authentic act of love is always an act which is Godly, which is like and seeking to be like God.

Why do we need take time to prepare for marriage?

Because we love our spouse, and because this step you will make together is an important one, a lifetime’s work, and so worth taking time to prepare well for.

What are the steps to prepare for marriage in our parish?

Before booking a church or reception location, at least six months before the possible date, contact the parish office, which will provide the forms and list of documents needed. 

  1. Obtain the required documents (birth certificate, recent baptismal certificate from the last 6 months and driver’s licence (if Australian) or passport if no licence, have them certified by a JP, and send copies to the parish.
  2. Once these have been received by the parish, please make an appointment with the priest to go over the requisite documentation, and begin preparing for marriage.

What if my future spouse is not Catholic or not baptised?

In the event that one of the future spouses is baptised but not Catholic, the priest can request permission from the archbishop for the marriage to take place.  If one of the future spouses is not baptised, the priest can request a dispensation from the archbishop in order for the marriage to take place. In either case, the Catholic party needs to declare that they will take the necessary steps to avoid falling away from the faith and promise to do what they can to raise the children in the faith, and the non-Catholic needs to be aware of this responsibility of their future Catholic spouse.

We are having difficulties in our marriage, what can we do?

The most important thing to do is to talk about it with someone: feel free to make a discreet appointment with the priest via the parish office, and we can sit down and discuss what might be the best next steps or direction to take.  You are not obliged to live your struggles alone, as Christians we walk with each other and help each other out.