“By it [the Sacrament of Matrimony] husband and wife are strengthened and…consecrated for the faithful accomplishment of their proper duties, for the carrying out of their proper vocation even to perfection, and the Christian witness which is proper to them before the whole world” Pope Paul VI (Humanae Vitae, n. 25).
The Catholic Church teaches that marriage between two baptized persons is a sacrament. The couple’s relationship expresses in a unique way the unbreakable bond of love between Christ and his people. Like all the other 6 sacraments Matrimony was instituted by Christ. All sacraments are entrusted to the Church to be celebrated in faith within and for the community of believers. The rituals and prayers by which a sacrament is celebrated serve to express visibly what God is doing invisibly.
In a sacramental marriage, God’s love becomes present to the spouses in their total union and also flows through them to their family and community. By their permanent, faithful and exclusive giving to each other, the couple reveals something of God’s unconditional love.
Catholic teaching holds that sacraments bring grace to those who receive them with the proper disposition. Grace is a way of describing how God shares the divine life with us and gives us the help we need to live as followers of Christ. In marriage, the grace of this sacrament brings to the spouses the particular help they need to be faithful and to be good parents. It also helps a couple to serve others beyond their immediate family and show the community that a loving and lasting marriage is both desirable and possible.
From: http://www.foryourmarriage.org/marriage-as-sacrament/
The Dioceses of Texas have common, specific guidelines for marriage preparation. It consists of an Engaged Couples Encounter, and a parish based Marriage Sponsor couple process.
Please notify the parish office as soon as you begin planning to be married and at least six months before the desired date of your wedding. An initial meeting will also be arranged between the engaged couple and the Marriage Coordinator. A tentative wedding date of up to one year in advance may be reserved at this meeting. To be married at in our parish you must be registered members of the parish.
Once it is ascertained that the couple is free to marry in the Catholic Church and the civil and sacramental requirements have been discussed and understood, the date and time of the wedding can be discussed. Please note that Confirmation is strongly recommended.
You are cautioned against making firm commitments with the reception facilities, caterers, photographers, etc., until your initial meeting with the Marriage Coordinator.
Engaged couples are encouraged to make the required Engaged Couple's Encounter.
For any questions or additional information, please contact the parish office in Devine or visit the following link from the Archdiocese of San Antonio:
From the moment of Jesus' conception in the womb of Mary until his Resurrection, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. In biblical language, he was anointed by the Holy Spirit and thus established by God the Father as our high priest.
As Risen Lord, he remains our high priest. . . . While all the baptized share in Christ's priesthood, the ministerial priesthood shares this through the Sacrament of Holy Orders in a special way.
"Here I am, send me." (Is 6:8)
Ordination to the priesthood is always a call and a gift from God. Christ reminded his Apostles that they needed to ask the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into the harvest.
Those who seek priesthood respond generously to God's call using the words of the prophet, "Here I am, send me" (Is 6:8).
This call from God can be recognized and understood from the daily signs that disclose his will to those in charge of discerning the vocation of the candidate.
~from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults
For more information contact or Parish Office or click on the link below.
St. Joseph Catholic Church
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