"Let marriage be honored among all and the marriage bed be kept undefiled, for God will judge the immoral and adulterers." ~Heb 13:4 "The sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ loved his Church; the grace of the sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life." (Council of Trent)

The Sacrament of Marriage is to be taken seriously, as it is the sacramental sign of Christ's love for the Church. Couples wishing to initiate this process should make an appointment with a priest and should allow a 6 months to 1 year preparation period for this Sacrament. Wedding dates cannot be scheduled until this process has been initiated. In addition, the couple completes a marriage preparedness assessment, receives counsel from a priest, and participates either in a Pre-Cana class sponsored by the diocese or the Sponsor Couple program sponsored by the parish.

"The Church holds the exchange of consent between the spouses to be the indispensable element that "makes the marriage." If consent is lacking there is no marriage. The consent consists in a human act by which the partners mutually give themselves to each other and seek the good of for each other." (CCC 1626)