Marriage

The Sacrament of Marriage

Marriage is a natural institution, something common to all mankind. At its most basic level, marriage is a union between a man and a woman for the purpose of procreation and mutual support, or love. Each spouse in a marriage gives up some rights over his or her life in exchange for rights over the life of the other spouse.

In the Catholic Church, however, marriage is more than a natural institution; it was elevated by Christ Himself, in His participation in the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11), to be one of the Seven Sacraments. A marriage between two Christians, therefore, has a supernatural element as well as a natural one.

The spouses are the ministers of the sacrament of marriage because the mark – the external sign – of the sacrament is not the wedding Mass or anything the priest might do, but the marriage contract itself, the vows that each spouse makes to the other. As long as each spouse intends to contract a true marriage, the sacrament is performed.

At St. Bernadette, Contact the Parish Office at (440) 734-1300 to make arrangements at least 6 months before the intended date. Pre-Cana classes need to be taken.

God created man and woman out of love and commanded them to imitate his love in their relations with each other. Man and woman were created for each other…Woman and man are equal in human dignity, and in marriage both are united in an unbreakable bond. (United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, Ch. 21, p. 279)