Marriage

Marriage in the Catholic Church is until “death do us part”, which in our time is quite counter-cultural. At the time of Christ, similarly, divorce was widely accepted in the Roman Empire.  Among the Jewish people, for example, a man could divorce his wife by simply handing her a writ of divorce for almost any reason.

Jesus raised the bar on marriage, declaring that “what therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder” (Mark 10:9).  The Catholic Church remains faithful to this teaching of Jesus.  As a sacrament, the Church teaches that Holy Matrimony was instituted by Christ as one of the ways that people can receive the grace of God.  Marriage is a sacrament of service.  The husband and wife serve each other and their children in marriage, and thereby benefit the community.

And, as the couple confronts the challenges of everyday life, Christ provides them with the grace to persevere and grow in holiness.  Perhaps as a result, In the United States Catholic couples are the least likely of any religious affiliation to divorce.  

At St Agatha – St James Parish we have developed a Marriage Preparation Program to prepare couples to understand Catholic marriage and to help start them on the path for lifelong, fulfilling marriages.  We prepare couples for weddings for our own or for other parishes.

Click on weddings if you wish to explore scheduling your wedding at St Agatha – St James Church.