Getting Married at St. Ignatius Parish

Congratulations on your decision to get married and to have your vows witnessed and received at St. Ignatius. Our hope is that this
occasion will be one of much joy and hope for you and your families.

Catholics have always believed marriage to be a special and unique sharing in the mystery of Jesus’ death and
resurrection. The marrying couple publicly proclaim by their vows before God and in the midst of the faith community that
they intend their life together to reflect the kind of self-giving love that Jesus has for his people, the Church.
Due to this belief, marriage in the Catholic tradition is identified as a Sacrament. In other words, marriage is a living sign of our
loving and faithful God in the world.

Thus, marriage means more than a wedding day. Marriage designates the lifelong relationship of husband and wife and their
commitment to grow more and more in love as time goes on. Marriage for Catholic Christians, then, is not something they
receive; it is something they become.

Christian marriage is a commitment to one’s spouse from within the community of faith, the Church; and so when two people
marry in the Church, it is more than being married in a particular kind of building. It is also more than something just
between the two partners. Marriage is an event for the community as well. Indeed, there can really be no such thing as a
“private” wedding because sacraments are public celebrations of faith in Jesus.

For its part, the parish community has a responsibility to give you time to prepare adequately for the reception of the Sacrament of
Matrimony. We hold that marriage requires careful and serious preparation. This cannot be presumed because of previous
participation in religious education programs, Catholic schools, or collegiate programs. Therefore, a special program of systematic preparation for each couple desiring to be married in our Church community is essential.

Chris Weekly, S.J.
Pastor 

View the St. Ignatius Parish Marriage Booklet

View an essay by Fr. Tom Royce, S.J.: Why I Want to Be Married in the Church.doc