Sacrament of Holy Matrimony
Effective preparation for the sacrament of matrimony is an essential element that the Diocese of Brooklyn is called to provide.
The diocesan Marriage Preparation or “Pre-Cana” classes are presented in English, Spanish, Creole, Polish and Italian. The diocese also offers specialized Pre-Cana for interfaith/interchurch couples, for couples who are re-marrying, and for couples who are convalidating their civil unions.
For questions about Pre-Cana, interfaith marriages and getting married in the Church, visit our diocesan Pre-Cana registration website, call 718-281-9540, or email [email protected] to learn more.
In addition, the priest or deacon will recommend one of the below options after getting to know the couple.
This assessment tool is used to help couples identify, discuss and work through important relationship issues before they get married. It offers a map of specific topics that may need time and attention, along with offering a starting place for discussion for the engaged couple. The FOCCUS Pre-Marriage Inventory is a helpful resource for priests and deacons preparing couples for marriage. More Information
Logistics and Booking
If you are interested in receiving the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony at St. Kevin Church, please complete the Request Form below and a Priest will contact you as soon as possible.
Preparing for Marriage
If you're a Catholic and you're preparing to get married, there are some things you may want to keep in mind. First off, a Catholic marrying another Catholic must be married in the Catholic Church. In order to prepare to be married in the Catholic Church, one is required to meet with a priest at least six months prior to the wedding. This is in order to make sure that the couple is free to marry. For it is not the priest who marries the couple, but the couple who marries one another. In order to do that, they must be free.
A Catholic who is marrying a non-Catholic can be married either in the Church or outside the Church, with appropriate dispensations. Once again, that person should speak with a priest or deacon at least six months prior to the wedding.
The Church law is that a Catholic must marry a Catholic. However, there is a law higher than the Church law, and that is the law of love. Which means that if a Catholic falls in love with somebody who is not a Catholic and desires to be married to that person, regardless of their beliefs or religion, that marriage is typically permitted with a dispensation from the Bishop. That marriage can then be officiated by a justice of the peace, by a rabbi, by an imam, or any other officiant, because it is the couple who marries one another, and that fact can be witnessed by any person delegated by the Church.
The Sacrament of Matrimony
The Sacrament of Marriage, or Holy Matrimony, is a public sign that one gives oneself totally to this other person. It is also a public statement about God: the loving union of husband and wife speaks of family values and also God’s values.
When a Christian marries a Christian, they receive the Sacrament of Matrimony, a sacramental union that directs those two people into a deeper relationship with Christ. The purpose of marriage is unitive and procreative: to bring the couple closer together and to bring new life into the world. However, sometimes a Catholic marries someone who is not a baptized person. In that case, the marriage is not a sacramental marriage, in which case the marriage is not leading them into a deeper relationship with Christ. But it is a natural marriage, the love of man and woman, which is what God has intended for his creation.
Music for your Wedding
When it comes to making the big day memorable, there is much involved. We try our best to make the organizing of the sacramental celebration the least stressful.
“Love is like a violin. The music may stop now and then, but the strings remain forever,” (June Masters Bacher, author).
Music at your ceremony should help those gathered give thanks to God for your love and reflect your relationship with God as you now become a couple. As a liturgical celebration of a sacrament, the music requirements are simple: Does it draw you and your guests more deeply into the holy things being celebrated?
Complete the below “Music Request Form” for the parts of the liturgy you may choose music for, along with some suggestions. To listen to audio samples, check out the Amazon Playlist “ Wedding Music Saint Kevin”, or simply google the titles. Of course, this isn’t a definitive list, so if some other song has special meaning to you, please request it! While not all songs are appropriate to be sung, most can be played as an instrumental prelude. Please get in touch with Steven Vaughan, the Director of Music, at least one month prior to your wedding.