Marriage is a sacrament which is ordered to the service of others, for the sanctification of spouses and the generation and education of children (CCC 1660). Like all sacraments, its foundation is in Christ, imitating in the mutual self-gift of spouses the sacrifice which Christ made for the Church: "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church and handed himself over for Her to sanctify Her … This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church" (Ephesians 5: 25, 26 & 32). Because marriage is a total giving of oneself to another, it is by its nature exclusive and indissoluble. Marriage unites man and woman "so they are no longer two, but one flesh" (Matthew 19: 6; cf. Genesis 2: 24). This unity of marriage requires monogamous fidelity and a pledge of future commitment to preserve itself intact, mirroring the faithfulness which Christ has shown His Church. Moreover, marriage's status as a sacrament raises it above the level of human institutions, subjugating it to the divine law: "Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate" (Matthew 19: 6).
• For a marriage to be sacramentally valid, it must enjoy free consent between two baptized, unmarried persons.
Please contact the parish office at 620-276-2024 as soon as you decide to marry;there is a four month minimum preparation period.
Scheduled visits with the priest and/or pastoral minister.