Marriage Guidelines

 

    Marriage is a convenant between a man and a woman that establishes a partnership for life.  It is a vocation that fosters the good of spouses and naturally leads to the procreation and education of children.  It is a sacrament.
 

     A valid sacramental marriage within the church presupposes freedom to marry, freedom from force, an intention to fidelity and unconditional commitment; open-ness to the possibility of children, God willing; and the presence of an official witness of the Church--normally a priest, deacon or bishop.  Couples contemplating marriage with the Diocese of Harrisburg need to begin the preparation process at least nine (9) to twelve (12) months before the tentative marriage date, and need to complete all the requirements of the Diocesan Common Policy for Marriage Preparation at least a month before the proposed marriage.  This is to allow us to focus not simply on the wedding being planned, but the marriage that we hope to celebrate for decades to come.
 

Cohabitation is a moral and societal problem.  Societally, the divorce rate is higher among couples that live together than among couples who only come to live together with marriage.  Morally, premarital relations are a sin and living together can cause real scandal.  The Church strongly opposes cohabitation.  Should a couple fine themselves in such a situation, they should seriously consider getting married or going their separate ways.  Should they decide to marry, they will be encouraged to separate until they are married when they can indeed come together as man and wife.

TO make arrangements to get married, contact Father McNeil at the Rectory Office (717) 637-2721 at least 9-12 months before the date of marriage.