Marriage
The Sacrament of Matrimony, or marriage, is a unique sacrament because it is the man and the woman that mutually administers the sacrament upon each other in the presence of a priest or deacon and other witnesses.
It is a sacred covenant, a public promise made by the husband and the wife to be true to each other until death parts them. In order for a marriage to be valid, the couple must be entering into the covenant out of their own free will, without fear or coercion. They are also asked to honor and be true to each other for the rest of their lives, as well as to accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and His Church.
To celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony in St. Mark Parish, one of the partners must be a registered member for at least one year and the couple must contact one of the priests or deacons at least six months prior to the wedding date for proper assistance. Participation in an Archdiocesan approved marriage preparation program is required.,
Please consult our Guidelines for Weddings brochure or visit the Marriage Preparation section on the Archdiocese of Baltimore web-site for additional information.
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Bishop Barron on the Sacrament of Marriage | Word on Fire
Recently, I had the great good pleasure of presiding at the wedding of my niece, Bryna, and her now husband, Nelson. While we rejoice in their love for each other, the fact that they have now...![Sacramental Marriage](https://files-prod.tilmaplatform.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=258,height=160/2020/06/09/26h3354cli_SacramentalMarriage.png)
The Beauty of a Sacramental Marriage
Early in my marriage my husband sat across from me and shared something he’d been keeping in for six months: The clothes on our bedroom floor really bothered him. I was shocked. The floor of our...![The author and his wife on their wedding day.](https://files-prod.tilmaplatform.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=258,height=160/2023/01/17/913twmnrk_Mike_Best_wedding_Busted_Halo.jpg)