The sacrament of Matrimony is a visible sign of God’s love for the Church. When a man and a woman are married in the Church, they receive the grace needed for a lifelong bond of unity. It is a covenantal union in the image of the covenants between God and his people with Abraham and later with Moses at Mt. Sinai. This divine covenant can never be broken. In this way, marriage is a union that bonds spouses together during their entire lifetime.
The sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace of the sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life.
(CCC 1661)
The love in a married relationship is exemplified in the total gift of one’s self to another. It’s this self-giving and self-sacrificing love that we see in our other model of marriage, the relationship between Christ and the Church.
Marriage is based on the consent of the contracting parties, that is, on their will to give themselves, each to the other, mutually and definitively, in order to live a covenant of faithful and fruitful love.
(CCC 1662)
The Church takes the lifelong nature of the Sacrament of Marriage seriously. The Church teaches that a break in this covenant teaches goes against the natural law of God:
The remarriage of persons divorced from a living, lawful spouse contravenes the plan and law of God as taught by Christ. They are not separated from the Church, but they cannot receive Eucharistic communion. They will lead Christian lives especially by educating their children in the faith.
(CCC 1665)
Marriage Reflects the Holy Trinity
We believe that God exists in eternal communion. Together, Father, Son and Holy Spirit are united in one being with no beginning and no end. Human beings, likewise, were created by God in God’s image for the purpose of communion with another human being.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit” (CCC 2205). The Sacrament of Marriage is “unitive, indissoluble and calls us to be completely open to fertility.” Christian marriage at its finest is a reflection of God’s self-giving love expressed between the love of two people.
Any registered parishioner or non-parishioner who wishes to be married at Our Lady of Lourdes is to contact
Father David at dsanchez@ourlourdes.org before setting a wedding date.
In keeping with Archdiocese of Louisville Policy, a minimum of six months’ preparation is required.
Archdiocese of Louisville
The Family Ministries Office, offers marriage preparation programs in our Archdiocese like; Foundation of Marriage, Catholic Engage Encounter and Prepare-Enrich Marriage Inventory System (for couples who are marrying for the first time later in life, or who are seeking marriage after being widowed or receiving a decree of nullity).
Preparing for Matrimony in the Archdiocese of Louisville click here.
For the 2025 Foundation of Marriage Schedule, click here.
Catholic Marriage – Online Marriage Encounter Courses
For more information about their program and/or to register please go to http://www.catholicmarriageprepclass.com.Once registered, finish the course and print out the certificate of completion to submit to Our Lady of Lourdes.
The Marriage Group & Agape Catholic Ministries – Online Marriage Prep
Online marriage preparation programs are the ideal solution for couples separated by distance, having scheduling difficulties, or with limited traditional Pre-Cana options. This program leverages the power and convenience of the internet to connect couples with quality, comprehensive courses for their marriage preparation. To contact them visit their websites at THEMARRIAGEGROUP.COM; call them at (810) 957-1550; or email them at hello@themarriagegroup.com. You may contact AGAPE at CatholicMarriagePrep.com