Sacrament of Marriage

The Sacrament of Marriage
Image: Grazia Mele.

“So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate” (Mt 19:6).

Can I get married outside?

Let’s first debunk a couple of popular notions before directly answering this question. The idea that a wedding is a private affair between the bride and groom is very romantic, but not true. The popular idea that the wedding ceremony is the most important focus of the day is also not true. Granted, a beautiful, well-planned ceremony is certainly desirable, and a beautiful church building adds to the ascetic experience. But the real focus is the sacrament that the bride and groom administer to one another for the first time at their wedding ceremony.

Because no couple is isolated from the larger community—and because marriage is a sacrament of the Church—the marriage of two baptized Christians is to take place where the faith community gathers for worship and celebrates the other public and sacramental acts of the Church. The church building is the community’s home and, as such, is the privileged place for the faith community to celebrate both its joys and sorrows.


Gay marriage is all over the news. What is the Church’s official position on same-sex marriage?

The Catholic community has long held that marriage—the conjugal union of one man and one woman—is a partnership of the whole of life and is ordered to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children (cf. CIC, can. 1055, 1). It has also defined the three “goods” of marriage as exclusivity or faithfulness, a lifelong union (indissolubility), and the procreation and education of children (cf. CIC, can. 1056).

There is no question that a gay couple can witness to the values of exclusivity and faithfulness, can enter into a lifelong union, and could see to the education of children. But only a conjugal union of a man and a woman can be procreative. And the possibility of creating new human life is a crucial part of the God-given purpose of human sexuality and marriage (cf. CCC, 2335).


What are the steps required for annulment?

An annulment is a juridical statement that a marriage is not sacramental, and, therefore, the parties involved are free to enter into a sacramental marriage. Most parish priests are able to help a couple or an individual begin the annulment process, but it will eventually require a legal procedure, argued by canon lawyers, at the local diocesan office.

The process includes the gathering of testimony and documentation supporting the claim that the marriage is not sacramental based on a lack of maturity or desire to enter into a lifelong, faithful union, which is open to the possibility of children.

The best advice for one looking to remarry, and wants to do so with the blessings of the Church, is to discuss the situation with a priest or other qualified pastoral worker who can advise on what practical steps are needed.

Do you have a question for Fr. Don? Email him at: Letters@FranciscanMedia.org

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Canonical link: Sacrament of Marriage