About the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony

- Sacraments
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    About the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony
    
    Initial Registration for the Sacrament of Marriage
    Online payment of Wedding Fee
    Planning your wedding Liturgy
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"Christ not only restored the original order of matrimony but raised it to the dignity of a sacrament, giving spouses a special grace to live out their marriage as a symbol of Christ's love for his bride the Church: 'Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church' (Ephesians 5:25). ( Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 341)

I am engaged - where do I begin?
1. The first thing to do is fill out the information form online by clicking here.
2. The next thing is to schedule an appointment with the Pastor. Please contact him at gabbybentil@hfccvic.org or by calling 361-573-5304 ex 204. At this initial meeting, he will go over the Marriage Regulations and answer any questions you may have.
3. After the initial meeting, you will meet with the Pastoral Associate to complete some of the required papwork, and a packet of marriage preparation options will be given to you. Generally, your wedding date is scheduled at this time. Contact Debbie Vanelli at 361-573-5304 ex 211 or dvanelli@hfccvic.org.
I have been married before, is the process the same? Yes, in many ways it is, still the first step is to meet with the Pastor. At the initial meeting, we will focus more on any prior marriages. We believe that all marriages are valid unless the church has determined they are not valid. Before another marriage can be entered into, we must look at the validity all prior marriages. No date may be scheduled until all prior marriages are declared null.

How long does the marriage preparation process take? You must have your initial meeting at least 6 months before your wedding date, to allow time for the wedding preparation.

Wedding Preparation

The wedding preparation process involves three types of preparation.
1. The Engaged Encounter Weekend Retreat    - Engaged Encounter is meant to help prepare couples to enter into the sacrament of marriage in the Catholic Church. Couples will leave with a renewed spiritual perspective of their chosen vocation. These weekend retreats are held at the Spiritual Renewal Center and are open to all Catholics preparing for marriage.

    Or Theology of the Body online Pre-Cana - Through CatholicMarriagePrep.com, this class invites couples to a deeper relationship with each other and with Christ. Online, on-demand instruction rooted in Saint John Paul II's Theology of the Body, combined with personalized mentoring from a trained married couple, builds a foundation for a strong, healthy, Christ-centered marriage between a man and a woman. Christ himself said, “Without me you can do nothing..." John 15:5

Or Witness to Love -Witness to Love is changing marriage prep ministry across the world, with couples who participate being 70-90% more likely to be attending Mass, and 75% less likely to be divorced after 5 years of marriage. The ministry empowers mentors from the parish to share their lives with engaged couples to help them prepare for a lifelong commitment.

2. FOCCUS Inventory - This is set up through the parish - The FOCCUS© Inventory is designed to help engaged couples appreciate their unique relationship, learn more about themselves, and discuss topics important to their lifelong marriage.

3. Natural Family Planning These classes not only teach couples the only Church-approved method of spacing out births, but they also foster valuable communication skills and seek to "divorce-proof" marriages in a society where divorce has become way too common. Couples who use NFP in their marriages have a divorce rate between 2 and 4%, rather than the 50-55% we tend to see even among Christians. This class is so important for young couples going through marriage preparation.

Or SymproPro Online NFP Classes and App by Northwest.

These classes are informative, personal, and discreet. Whether achieving, spacing, or avoiding pregnancy, NFP is a highly effective method. More and more couples are discovering the joy of NFP, and in response, we now offer our course online. Purchase of our online course includes lifetime support from your Northwest NFP Provider at no extra charge as well as our new free web charting App that can be used to share your charts with your instructor for quick review.

Holy Family Catholic Church

Victoria, Texas

About the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony

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