Marriage Preparation
at St. Mary's
Congratulations on your engagement!
At St. Mary's, we are honored that you are considering marriage in the Catholic Church. This season of preparation is exciting, joyful, and full of anticipation. It is also one of the most important seasons of your life.
Most couples spend months preparing for a wedding day. We want to help you prepare for something even greater: a lifelong marriage.
Marriage shapes every part of life. It influences how two people love, serve, sacrifice, make decisions, raise children, navigate challenges, and grow old together. Because marriage is such a profound commitment, we believe it deserves more than a checklist of requirements before the wedding day. It deserves time, prayer, formation, and honest discernment.
We are honored to walk alongside couples during this season and help them prepare for the vocation of marriage.
PREPARING FOR MORE THAN A WEDDING
At St. Mary's, we are honored to accompany couples during this season and help them prepare for the vocation of marriage.
The Catholic Church teaches that marriage is more than a legal contract or a private commitment.
Marriage is a covenant.
A covenant is a lifelong partnership between a man and a woman ordered toward their good and, God willing, the gift and raising of children.
For two baptized Christians, marriage is also a sacrament. In the Catholic understanding, a sacrament is a visible sign through which God shares His grace with His people; it is ultimately a privileged encounter with Jesus . Through the Sacrament of Marriage, Christ himself strengthens a husband and wife to love one another faithfully and fruitfully throughout their lives together.
The Church speaks of marriage as a vocation, or calling from God. Because of this, marriage preparation is not simply about planning a wedding. It is about discerning whether God is calling two people to enter into this lifelong covenant together.
As the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches,
"God who created man out of love also calls him to love - the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being. For man is created in the image and likeness of God who is himself love. Since God created him man and woman, their mutual love becomes an image of the absolute and unfailing love with which God loves man.” CCC 1604
Learn more:
Catechism of the Catholic Church §§1601-1666WHAT CATHOLICS BELIEVE ABOUT MARRIAGE
WHAT IS THE MARRIAGE CATECHUMENATE?
In recent years, the Church has invited parishes throughout the world to adopt what she calls the Marriage Catechumenate.
The word catechumenate may be unfamiliar. Traditionally, it refers to the period of time during which a person discerns God’s call to the sacrament of Baptism. Through prayer, formation, accompaniment, and discernment, a person gradually prepares to enter fully into the life of the Church.
The Church now proposes a similar journey for engaged couples preparing to enter the vocation of marriage. However, this discernment involves not just God and a person; it involves God and a couple. Through prayer, formation, accompaniment, and discernment, a couple prepares together to enter this new stage of life.
The goal is not simply to teach information about marriage. The goal is to help couples grow in faith, discern God's will, and prepare for the realities of married life:
“The marriage catechumenate does not aim to be a simple catechesis nor to transmit a doctrine. It aims to let the mystery of sacramental grace resonate among the spouses, since it belongs to them by virtue of the sacrament: it seeks to bring to life the presence of Christ in them and among them. For this reason, the Church must go beyond the type of formation which is solely intellectual, theoretical, and general when engaging with those who intend to marry. We need to walk with them along the path that leads to an encounter with Christ, or to deepen this relationship, and assist them in making an authentic discernment of their own vocation to marriage, both on a personal and interpersonal level.” Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life 5
The Marriage Catechumenate is the Church's way of helping couples prepare not only for a wedding day, but for a lifetime of marriage.
What Does Marriage Preparation Look Like at St. Mary's?
Most couples will spend approximately 9–12 months preparing for marriage.
While every couple's journey is unique, preparation generally follows six stages.
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Your first step is meeting with a member of our Marriage Preparation Team. (The form is at the bottom of this page)
This conversation helps us get to know you, hear the role that Christ has played in your life, discuss your engagement, and begin discerning together. We will also review the Church's requirements for marriage and discuss possible wedding dates and timelines.
No preparation is required before this meeting.
(The Church calls this phase the Reception of the Candidates) -
Early in the process, couples are invited to participate in a simple rite during Sunday Mass. The Church calles this rite the Rite of Entry into the Marriage Catechumenate.
This rite allows the engaged couple to publicly express their desire to discern marriage together and invites the parish community to support them through prayer.
Just as the Church accompanies those preparing for Baptism, the parish community accompanies couples preparing for marriage.
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(Preparation Phase)
During this stage, couples receive practical, spiritual, and relational formation through:
The Prepare & Enrich relationship inventory
Follow-up conversations with a trained facilitator on staff
Our Water to Wine marriage preparation course or meetings with a sponsor couple
Topics include communication, conflict resolution, family life, finances, intimacy, faith, prayer, and the meaning of sacramental marriage.
This stage is not about passing a test. It is about helping couples freely and confidently discern whether they are prepared for the lifelong commitment of marriage.
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Near the end of preparation, couples will celebrate the Rite of Betrothal with close family and friends. This private ceremony takes place after a weekend mass.
This beautiful tradition acknowledges the confidence and clarity that has emerged through the process of discernment. It marks a significant step as a couple prepares to enter into the Sacrament of Marriage.
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As the wedding approaches, couples work with our team to prepare the liturgy.
Together, you will select Scripture readings, prayers, and music that reflect your faith and the meaning of Christian marriage.
The Church sees the wedding liturgy not merely as a ceremony, but as a sacred act of worship in which God joins husband and wife in a lifelong covenant.
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The wedding day is a joyful beginning, not a finish line.
Through the exchange of vows, husband and wife freely give themselves to one another before God and the Church. Christ blesses their union and strengthens them through the grace of the sacrament.
The Church understands marriage not as a single event, but as a lifelong vocation.
The wedding day marks the beginning of a new way of life.
For many Aggies, married life will begin in a new city after graduation. Wherever God leads you, we encourage you to become involved in your local parish, seek friendships with other married couples, and continue growing together in faith.
The Church desires that newly married couples continue to be accompanied and supported during the early years of marriage, when many important habits and patterns are established. Hopefully, the mentor relationship forged with a sponsor couple continues over the years.
Marriage preparation does not end at the altar. It continues throughout a lifetime of learning how to love as husband and wife.
MARRIAGE CONTINUES AFTER THE WEDDING
Ready to Begin?
Before making deposits with venues, vendors, or reception locations, please contact our Marriage Preparation Team so that we can discuss your timeline and confirm your wedding date.
To begin the process, complete the inquiry form below and a member of our team will reach out to schedule your first meeting.
We look forward to walking with you during this important season of discernment and preparation.
