Marriage

God created man and woman out of love and commanded them to imitate his love in their relations with each other. Man and woman were created for each other…Woman and man are equal in human dignity, and in marriage both are united in an unbreakable bond. (United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, Ch. 21, p. 279)

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Marriage Preparation

Couples who are ready for marriage will spend at least 6 months with a member of the clergy at St. Mark Church in preparation for their celebration. This preparation process is divided into three parts. To begin this process, please contact the parish office to set up a meeting. After the initial meeting with a deacon or priest, he will help you schedule a tentative date for the wedding.

Wedding Attire Guidelines

As in all we do, St. Mark strives for reverence. Within your wedding we require attire to reflect the utmost respect for God, his church, and of all of those assisting, serving, or officiating at your wedding. Please adhere to the following guidelines when selecting attire for yourself and those of your attendants and groomsmen.

 

For the Bride and her attendants:

  • All Dress hems must be at least to the knee. Any slits in the dress must not come above the knee.
  • Please refrain from lowcut dresses that are revealing
  • Please cover your shoulders with either sleeves, a shawl, or a jacket. Sheer coverings are not acceptable. Please note that veils do not count as covering the shoulder, but are welcome.
  • No completely open backs or midsections

 

For the Groom and Groomsmen:

  • Suits or Tuxedos are to be worn
  • No jeans
  • No Sneakers

 

Thank you for respecting the guidelines for wedding attire at St. Mark. If you have any questions regarding the attire, please contact Emily Bixler.

Emily Bixler emily.bixler@stmarknc.org, 704-948-0231, ext 102

About Marriage

The sacrament of marriage 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.

Marriage is a Covenant

The Sacrament of Marriage 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.