Holy Matrimony
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians consider marriage a holy sacrament, and it was officially recognized as a sacrament at the 1184 Council of Verona. The Catholic Church allowed marriages to take place inside churches starting in the 16th century. Committing themselves completely to each other, a Catholic husband and wife strive to sanctify each other, bring children into the world, and educate them in the Catholic way of life. Man and woman, although created differently from each other, complement each other. This complementarity draws them together in a mutually loving union.
The valid marriage of baptized Christians is one of the seven Catholic sacraments. The sacrament of marriage is the only sacrament that a priest does not administer directly; however, a priest is the chief witness to the husband and wife’s administration of the sacrament to each other at the wedding ceremony in a Catholic church.
The Catholic Church views that Christ himself established the sacrament of marriage at the wedding feast of Cana; therefore, since it is a divine institution, neither the Church nor the state can alter the basic meaning and structure of marriage. Husband and wife give themselves totally to each other in a union. We teach that God Himself is the author of the sacred institution of marriage, which is His way of showing love for those He created. Marriage is an eternal, sacred institution. Holy Matrimony is another name for sacramental marriage. Marriage is intended to be faithful and exclusive.
Priests are instructed that marriage is part of God’s natural law and to support the couple if they do choose to marry. Today, it is common for Catholics to enter into a “mixed marriage” between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic. Couples entering into a mixed marriage are usually allowed to marry in a Catholic church, provided their decision is of their own accord, that they be faithful to each other, and that they have children brought up in the Catholic faith.
