Preparation:

 

If you are intending to get married at St Vincent's, please, contact the parish by phone (0151 709 8589) or e-mail (stvincent@rcaolp.co.uk). You will be invited for an initial conversation. There should be at least 6 months between the first contact with the parish and the intended date of your marriage. The preparation consists of a number of meetings of which one is organised by the Archdiocese.

 

 

Marriage.

 

“The man shall be joined to his wife and the two shall become one” (Mt 19:5).

 

Christian marriage is a sacrament, a sign of God's love present in the love of the spouses for each other. In Amoris Laetitia (AL) Pope Francis writes: “When a man and a woman celebrate the sacrament of marriage, God is, as it were, ‘mirrored’ in them; he impresses in them his own features and the indelible character of his love. Marriage is the icon of God’s love for us.” (AL 121) God's grace supports the couple. The Pope writes: “Indeed, the grace of the sacrament of marriage is intended before all else ‘to perfect the couple’s love.’” (AL 89)

 

During the marriage ceremony, husband and wife pledge their love for each other, a faithful love, before God and before the community of the Church. The community of the Church is represented by the priest or deacon, the witnesses and others: relatives and friends. The community is called to play an important part in supporting the couple on their marriage journey.

 

There is good reason to hope that the love promised on their wedding day, will grow on a daily basis, through a committed, lifelong and faithful sharing of life between the spouses.