Sacrament of Marriage
Marriage Preparation in the Catholic Church
A Sacrament is a visible sign, instituted by Christ, to “give grace”, they are “helps” for practicing Catholics.
- At least one party in the marriage must be a practicing Catholic and a registered member of Sacred Heart Parish.
- Celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage is a religious event as opposed to a social occasion.
- The couple must be attending Mass at Sacred Heart Parish every Sunday.
Sacrament of Marriage
A marriage is a lifelong permanent bond between one man and one woman. In addition, A wedding in the Catholic Church is a religious event, requiring a public act of faith by the couple who are asking the Church, the priest and the assembled community, to witness their exchange of vows and pray that their new covenant of mutual life and love will continue to be an enduring sign to others of Jesus' intimate and faithful covenant with the People of God.
Thoughtful and responsible preparation assists a couple in building a strong foundation for the lifelong commitment of marriage. In order to marry in the Catholic Church, a couple must first complete all steps of the marriage preparation process as put forth by their respective Diocese.
The Diocese of Phoenix requires a minimum of nine months of preparation time. The reality of simultaneously planning a wedding and juggling other day-to-day responsibilities can be a challenge. We encourage engaged couples to begin the preparation process even earlier.
Sacrament of Marriage Preparation
Components of the program of preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage at Sacred Heart Parish include but may not be limited to:
The couple seeking to celebrate the sacrament of Marriage at Sacred Heart Parish must be a registered parishioner and attending Mass at Sacred Heart every Sunday.
Contact parish office to confirm your registration number.
- Meet with your Marriage Coordinator
Contact your parish to set up a meeting. During this initial meeting, the marriage coordinator will discuss with you the marriage preparation process.
2. Schedule Love for Life engaged weekend retreat at https://phxmarriageprep.org/
under Classes/Courses.
3. Contact marriage coordinator to set up time to complete Marriage Preparation Inventory. This may take 1 – 2 hours. Once your Inventory is scored you and your fiancé will meet with Marriage coordinator or mentor couple or Deacon/Priest to discuss your answers.
4. Schedule Gods Plan for a Joy filled Marriage Retreat-Register athttps://phxmarriageprep.org/ under Classes/Courses.
5. Register for Natural Family Planning course https://phxmarriageprep.org/nfp-course/
Note: You must complete Gods Plan for a Joy filled Marriage Retreat before registering for NFP.
Register for NFP 6 months before planned wedding date.
Sacred Heart will not schedule wedding date until you have completed your third NFP class.
7. Receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation (confession) before wedding day. Schedule a time with your parish priest.
8. Final meeting with Wedding Coordinator and Priest. This meeting will help ensure that all paperwork and marriage preparation is complete and to finalize the liturgy for your wedding day.
NOTE: The classes discussed above are offered outside the parish. You must register for these classes independently and there are additional fees for each class. The couple is responsible for scheduling these classes in sufficient time to complete all classes within the 9-month time frame of the marriage preparation period. Failure to do so may result in the postponement of your wedding.
Sacred Heart has made a commitment to support you in your preparation for marriage by walking with you as a couple. Our hope is that through this preparation your relationship will strengthen with one another and with God.
Participating responsibly in the process of marriage preparation is an indication of your understanding of the commitment you're making and of the serious undertaking of the covenant of marriage.