"'The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.'"
Catehcism of the Catholic Church, n. 1601
Preparation for marriage begins as children see married life lived by their parents. A family striving for holiness is the best way to prepare children to discern a vocation to Holy Matrimony.
When one finds a person whom they want to marry, spend their lives serving, and with whom they are willing to be open to life, and after they have become engaged, they should contact Fr. Anthony to set up a wedding date. No wedding date will be formalized until the couple has met with Fr. Anthony and he has ensured they are free to marry each other. The couple needs to meet with Fr. Anthony at least 9 months before their desired wedding date.
St. Pius X parish has a marriage preparation program which is educational, formational, and requires the engaged couple to meet with a married couple. These are not hoops to jump through. St. Pius X parish hopes to prepare the couple not only for the wedding day, but for a lifelong happy and holy marriage.
Sometimes, even with the best of intentions, a marriage does not last for a lifetime. Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew, "whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery" (Matthew 19:9). Because of this, the Church does not accept a civil divorce or even a civil annulment as able to declare a person free to marry. However, in the clause, "unless the marriage is unlawful," the Church understands that she has the ability to examine a marriage to make sure that all the necessary parts of a valid marriage were present before and at the time of the wedding, even if the evidence that it may be lacking is not present until after the wedding.
The Church views all marriages as valid, even ones between non-Catholics, as valid until proven otherwise. If you, or a friend, whether Catholic or non-Catholic, wish to have the Church investigate any previous marriage(s) that you were a part of, please contact Fr. Anthony or Cindee McColley (whomever you would feel most comfortable with)