ST. Mary of the Assumption Catholic Church

14908 Main Street

Upper Marlboro, Maryland  20772

email:  rectory@stmarysum.org

Business Hours for the Rectory 10am - 5pm Monday through Friday

Marriage

In the marriage covenant, a man and woman establish between themselves an intimate communion of life and love which was founded and endowed with its own laws by the Creator. By its nature it is ordered to the well-being of the spouses and the procreation and upbringing of children. Christ the Lord raised marriage between the baptized to the dignity of a sacrament.

More than any other human relationship, that of husband and wife most clearly reflects the unity and fruitful love which exists between Christ and his Church. It is precisely for this reason that Our Lord has raised this relationship to the dignity of a sacrament by which the couple receive that unique grace among the people of God by which they can give mutual assistance to each other in striving for holiness of life and in nurturing and educating their children.

By their irrevocable consent, a man and a woman enter into the covenant of marriage and thus they establish between themselves a partnership of life. This intimate union and the good of the children require total fidelity from each of them and demand an unbreakable oneness between them.

By its very nature, the Sacrament of Marriage is ordered toward the good of the spouses as well as toward the procreation and education of children. Neither of these dual ends are to be subjugated to the other; rather, both of them serve as the focal points by which the couple "should be steadfast and ready to cooperate with the love of the Creator and savior, who through them will constantly enrich and enlarge his own family."

The Pastor is ultimately responsible for all marriages celebrated within his parish whether or not he personally prepares the couple or witnesses their vows. Norms to be observed:

• if the witnessing priest or deacon is from outside the archdiocese,
  the preparation is done by the parish priest of either the bride or
  groom (the catholic party if one is non-Catholic);

• if the couple are non-parishioners, the priest of their own home parish
  is to be contacted to determine who will prepare them;

• No non-Catholic minister is allowed to be the official witness to
  the exchange of consent in a Catholic Church and neither may a
  Catholic priest receive the exchange of consent in a Protestant
  church.

All priests incardinated into the Archdiocese of Washington are able validly to witness a marriage in this or any parish of the Archdiocese. However, for the licit use of this faculty, the pastor’s permission must be received. Incardinated deacons may be delegated to witness marriages, too.

A couple wishing to marry is to contact a parish priest or deacon no later than six months prior to the anticipated date of the wedding. The purpose of this period is to actively involve the couple in a process through which they can judge not only their readiness to marry, but also their ability to communicate on vital issues. Preparation time allows the couple to come to a deeper knowledge of each other and of the sacrament they will receive, including the reasons for its indissolubility. During this time the following is to be established:

• The canonical freedom of the couple to marry in the Church;
  The spiritual maturity of the couple as revealed by the practice of the
  faith by the Catholic party or parties, or at least their serious
  intention to return to the practice of their faith, including regular
  participation in the Sunday Mass. Spiritual maturity is also judged
  by the couple’s awareness of the specifically sacramental dimension
  of their marriage;

• The personal and relational maturity of the parties to undertake the
  responsibilities of marriage as Christian spouses and Christian parents.

The pre-nuptial investigation form used in the Archdiocese of Washington is designed to assess the couple’s canonical freedom to marry. The prospective bride and groom must be interviewed individually so as to allow complete freedom in each of their responses.

Impediments to Marriage:

• a previous bond not declared null or dissolved by the Church
  [Under no circumstances can we set any date prior to the receipt
  of a favorable response from an Ecclesiastical Court.]

• disparity of cult — when a baptized Catholic intends to marry an
  unbaptized person. [Requires a dispensation for which the
  Catholic must reaffirm his or her faith, an intention to practice
  The faith, and promise to do all in his or her power to baptize and
  raise as Catholic all children which issue from this marriage. The
  non-Catholic is made aware of these promises.]

• mixed religion — when a baptized Catholic intends to marry a
  baptized non-Catholic person. [As in the previous case, it requires
  a dispensation.]

• other impediments — age, impotence, Holy Orders, a public per-
  petual vow of chasity in a religious institute, abduction, crime,
  consanguinity, affinity, public propriety, and relation through
  adoption.

Canonical form is followed in that the marriage is witnessed by a priest or deacon and two witnesses. In cases of mixed religion or disparity of cult, sometimes there are dispensations from canonical form to allow the marriage to take place in a non-Catholic church.

In general, weddings may take place at any convenient time and on any day of the week with the exception of the days of the Sacred Triduum. Since Sundays are especially busy days for parish priests, they may rightfully discourage the scheduling of weddings on Sunday afternoons or evenings.

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