Marriage

The Church teaches us that the "fundamental and innate vocation of every human being" is love. (Catechism: 1604) While priests and Religious, through the gift of celibacy, express their love through serving the whole human family, those men and women who choose the married state build up Christ's kingdom by rendering "mutual help and service to each other through an intimate union of their persons and of their actions." ( Gaudium et Spes )

Marriage is not a purely human institution, but a community of life and love established by the Creator himself, as described in the opening chapters of the Book of Genesis (Gen 1: 20-24). This covenant was renewed and elevated to the dignity of a sacrament by Christ himself, who in his preaching gave a new dimension to the meaning of marriage, affirming it as a perpetual and exclusive bond between a man and a woman (Mark: 10:3-12).

Through the grace of the sacrament, the married couple are given supernatural help to grow in love for each other throughout their lives. In addition, they are given the grace to share their life and love with others, in particular the children who come to them from God as a result of their union. In this way "the Christian family, which springs from marriage as a reflection of the loving covenant uniting Christ with the Church...will manifest to all men the Saviour's living presence in the world, and the general nature of the Church" ( Gaudium et Spes ).

Who administers the Sacrament of Matrimony?

The couple themselves are the ministers of the sacrament. The priest or deacon in attendance represents the Church, confirms the consent, acts as witness, and presides over the liturgical ceremony (normally Holy Mass).

Why are Catholic marriage ceremonies not allowed outdoors, but restricted to church buildings?

The laws governing the Church, which are known as Canon Law, call for the Sacrament of Matrimony to be celebrated "in a parish church" (see Canon 1118). The parish church is the centre of the faith community to which the newly married couple will belong. It is from here the couple will derive support on their faith journey together as husband and wife. It is here that most of the seven sacraments, which touch all the important moments of the couple's Christian life, are administered.

Apart from the importance of the parish church as the spiritual center of the faith life of the parish community, it is most fitting that marriages should be celebrated in a public place since marriage by its very nature is not simply a private matter. The very nature of marriage is ordered to the welfare of society and of the Church, which makes marriage a crucial institution for the larger community, both civil and religious. In other words, as much as marriage is a covenant between husband and wife for their mutual well-being, growth and salvation as well as that of their children, the whole community has a stake in the celebration and existence of marriage. Healthy, holy and happy marriages will go a long ways to producing a stable, integrated and well-adjusted community, both in society and in the Church.