So the Lord God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The Lord God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, the man said: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; This one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body.
Genesis 2:18-24
Man and woman are the sacramental sign of the very relationship that Christ has with the Church.
Familiaris Consortio 13
As the family goes, so goes the nation, and so goes the whole world in which we live.
St. John Paul II
The Sacrament of Marriage is so important to your own lives, to the family you will form, to the Church, and to the whole community that preparation for it is taken very seriously. Here at the Fort Recovery cluster, we have found a process of preparation which has been helpful to many couples and which we pray will also serve you well in preparing you for such an important Sacrament.
Because such a process can seem overwhelming, we have prepared a concise overview of all the requirements in the process. This overview will help you stay on track so that you can take the time necessary to draw fruit from each step of the process. It will also help you keep track of what you’ve completed and what still needs to be done before the wedding.
Please begin working on this more than eight months out from your intended wedding day.
Overview of the Wedding Preparation Process
During your wedding preparation, you will learn a great deal about the Sacrament of Marriage, the rite itself, and about yourselves. All the same, it can be helpful to look at other sources also as you look towards your wedding day. Below is one example of a site that answers some basic questions about Marriage in the Catholic Church:
For more information regarding preparation and planning for your upcoming special day, you may also want to look through the Archdiocesan pages for Marriage and Family Life.
Marriage and Family Life Main Page
Whether you are preparing for marriage or already married, we encourage you to take the time to work through the Beloved series on Formed.org. The parish has a subscription to Formed, making content available to you for free. Simply use the parish code to login:
87e81f
The Beloved series focuses on marriage and can be a great opportunity to work together as a couple and perhaps with other couples to develop a deeper unity and build a thriving marriage, protecting your bond as one with the Lord.
There are also many secular resources that can be helpful in marriages. One such source is Marriage Works Ohio, located in Dayton. For events and other information:
http://www.trustmarriage.com/index.php
Prayer for a Married Couple
keep, we pray, in a bond of inseparable love
those who are united in the covenant of Marriage,
so that, as you make their love fruitful,
they may become, by your grace, witnesses to charity itself.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.