Office of Life, Marriage & Family

MISSION

The Office of Life, Marriage and Family exists to foster a deeper understanding of the fullness and beauty of the Church’s teachings on the dignity of human life, marriage and family life. Under the patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St John Paul the Great, we aim to collaborate with our diocesan parishes, schools, agencies and lay apostolates towards equipping the faithful with the best of resources as we explore God’s plan for each of our lives.

MARRIAGE IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

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* Click Here to jump to Frequently Asked Questions Relating to Marriage *

Marriage is a life-long covenant between a man and a woman. Through the sacrament of matrimony, the love story of a bride and groom is drawn into the greatest love story of them all—God’s love for His People.

Marriage is not a man-made institution subject to whatever might be the convenient definition of the times. Marriage was instituted by God, right back at the beginning of creation. Marriage, as an institution, must be preserved for the sake of all generations to come. Strong marriages, as God intended them to be, are the bedrock of society.

Sacramental Marriage

In a sacramental marriage, husbands and wives strive together as they face the challenges of everyday life. The strength to face these challenges comes directly from God, through the grace of the sacrament. These graces are offered to aid couples in their relationship together, in matters such as raising of children, finances and other related struggles.
The stakes are high! If a person truly believes they have married their beloved, the one God has set aside for them and no other, they should embrace His plan for their union, knowing that this is the surest path towards their marriage not only surviving, but flourishing.

A couple who wishes to be married in the Catholic Church needs to approach their parish priest who will advise them about a program of discernment and marriage preparation and help them to prepare the marriage ceremony. Couples are usually asked to give at least six months’ notice to the officiating priest or deacon.

Sometimes people who have not been to Church for a while can be apprehensive about approaching the Church for a wedding. Since marriage can be a time of rediscovering one’s faith and making a new start, you should not hesitate to discuss your situation with the priest.

Is Your Marriage Sacramental?

Are you unclear about whether your marriage is sacramental? Would you like to ensure that you and your spouse are opening up your marriage to receive all of the graces with which Our Lord is wanting to bless you?
Why not arrange to have a chat with your parish priest about your circumstances. Your parish priest is a shepherd, appointed to watch over and guide his flock. You should always feel free to go to him for pastoral advice. He will walk with you on your journey, guiding you towards the fullness sacramental marriage.
If you determine that your marriage is not yet sacramental, your priest can take you through the process laid out by the Church, ensuring that any areas requiring attention are rectified.
Sometimes the process can take a little while. Be patient! The reward at the end will be a fountain of sacramental graces flowing into your marriage.

Marriage Preparation/ Marriage Enrichment

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BELOVED: FINDING HAPPINESS IN MARRIAGE

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Useful Resources Relating to Marriage

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Frequently Asked Questions Relating to Marriage

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Q: How does one approach the Church, seeking marriage?
A: A Catholic should approach the Church, ideally at least six months before the desired wedding date, to begin the process. A simple overview of the process is as follows:
1. Contact your priest to arrange a pre-nuptial enquiry meeting.
2. Your priest will complete a pre-nuptial enquiry form with you, asking questions determining whether you are free to marry, or if any impediments are present that first need to be resolved.
3. If you are in a position to procced towards marriage, a marriage preparation course should be completed. Your priest may have a preferred course through which he will lead you, or you could complete the, ‘Beloved: Finding Happiness in Marriage‘ course, made available through the Office of Life, Marriage & Family.
4. If completing a marriage preparation course independent of your guiding priest, stay in touch with him for ongoing formation and access to the sacraments of Confession and Holy Communion as you prepare.
5. Organise a meeting with your priest at some point throughout the preparation to ensure that the church has been booked and to prepare the liturgy, booklet and any other details for the wedding day.
6. Organise a wedding ceremony rehearsal with your priest in the week leading up to the wedding day. This will ensure that everyone is clear about the roles role they will play, facilitating everything running smoothly.

Q: Can a Catholic get married outside of the Church?
A: The Church teaches that a Catholic—whether they are marrying another Catholic, a non-Catholic Christian, or a non-Christian—must get married in a Catholic church. This would normally be the parish church of either the bride or groom. With proper permissions granted by the priest or, as required, the appropriate bishop, marriages may be celebrated at another location deemed to be appropriate. This permission should never be assumed but should always be properly sought and granted before proceeding. No matter where the marriage takes place, it must always be celebrated in the presence of a bishop, priest or deacon, along with two additional witnesses.

Q: As a Catholic, I was married away from the Church. How do I repair this situation and have my marriage recognised by the Church?
A: To remedy this situation, the Church has a process known as convalidation. This process takes you through the steps required to identify and remove any impediments that may still be present. This may take some time, depending on circumstances. This process clears the way for vows to be correctly exchanged in the presence of a bishop, priest or deacon, along with two additional witnesses, as is required by the Church.
As every situation is unique, the best way to begin this process is to either discuss this directly with your priest or to reach out to the Office of Life, Marriage and Family, who can put you in communication with the correct authorities within the Church.

Q: How can I go about seeking an annulment?
A: All formal cases of marriage annulment in Tasmania are prepared in Hobart and then forwarded to the Victorian Tribunal Office for judgement. Contact the Tribunal of the Catholic Church Vic & Tas to discuss how to proceed.
Note: The Church carefully considers whether or not an annulment is to be granted. This process should never be treated as simply a formality, as there is no guarantee in advance as to how each case will be determined. Until an annulment case has been decided, an existing marriage is presumed by the Church to be valid. As such, a person seeking annulment is not in a position to pursue a relationship with anyone else until an annulment has been granted.

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FAMILY LIFE

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The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that, “The family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values, begin to honour God, and make good use of freedom. Family life is an initiation into life in society” (CCC 2207). Even from this simple description, we recognise the importance of living a good, virtuous, holy family life. The ultimate aim of all Catholic parents should be to ensure that they obtain heaven for themselves and through their instruction and good example, they empower their children to do the same.

The role of parents does not end when their children become adults, and respect that children pay their parents should not end either.

It has been said that you can choose your friends, but you can’t choose your family. Whilst this is true, it should be remembered that family members have still been intentionally chosen for us. God placed all of these people in our lives so that you we walk together towards eternity with Him in Heaven. The Catholic Church encourages families to foster lives of prayer and virtue, accompanying each other on this journey.

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DEFENDING LIFE

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The term ‘culture of life’ is used to describe a vision for human relationships where every human life is recognised as a sacred gift from God, and worthy of protection and care from the moment of conception until the time of its natural end.

The Church is called to build a new culture of human life:
founded upon the Gospel of Life, the “good news” that every human being is created in the image and likeness of God, and intimately loved by God (The Gospel of Life, n.2);
which values people for who they are, not for what they have, do and produce (The Gospel of Life, n. 23); & where human life is always defended and promoted, especially when it is weak or threatened (The Gospel of Life, n.77).

Useful Resources for Defending Life

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Living to the End” Preparing for a Good Death

Living to the end: a guide for Christians is a short booklet released by the Archdiocese of Hobart during the Year of Mercy, to encourage reflection upon Jesus’ mercy for us, in our living and our dying.

The Catholic Church has a strong and ongoing tradition of caring for people who are dying and their families. Living to the end contains information on palliative care services, ethical issues at the end of life and future health care planning.

The booklet also encourages reflection upon the meaning of a ‘good death’; on dignity and compassion for the dying; on the mystery of suffering and death; and how to make spiritual preparations for death through prayer and sacraments.

Image Credits

1. Image: Our Lady of Guadalupe. BrokenSphere, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons ↩︎
2. Image: St John Paul the Great. Zkoty1953, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons ↩︎

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