Marriage

For Catholics, the Sacrament of Matrimony is a sacred covenant between a man and a woman, initiated by God, and designed to be a primary place where God’s love is seen and known, since your love is meant to be as self-giving as the love that Christ Jesus has for His People, the Church.

When two baptized Catholics (or one Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic) publicly profess their consent to each other, they are conferring the Sacrament of Matrimony on each other. That’s right: YOU are the ministers of the sacrament, as you make these three solemn statements of consent to each other in the presence of God, the faith community, and family and friends.

  • to take this step into marriage freely and with due reflection;
  • to live faithfully as husband and wife as long as you both shall live;
  • to be open to raising and preparing your children as Catholic Christians.

From the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” (Mark 10:6-9)

Holy Matrimony is a grace-filled encounter with God, and a way to deeper holiness. As such, preparing for marriage is about more than planning the wedding, and our space is more than merely a pretty church.
So at St. Francis Xavier, we take seriously our role in preparing couples for this sacrament.  Our preparation includes:

  • The spirituality, sacramentality, and theology of marriage
  • Having an openness to life
  • Relationship and communication dynamics
  • An understanding of the various stages of marriage
  • An exploration of differences and potential areas of conflict
  • Insights into the importance of faith and a faith community

All of these ingredients are built into our marriage preparation program at St. Xavier.  Our prayer is that this preparation helps our couples to be a light and an example to the world by living out the Sacrament of Matrimony throughout their lives together.

Engaged couples wishing to be married must contact one of the priests or deacons at least six months prior to the desired date of the wedding. Preparation sessions are held in the parish. Wedding arrangements must be made by calling Kathy England at 513-721-4045 or kengland@stxchurch.org.

Please refer to our Weddings page on this website.

For additional information please contact Tina Ernst

Pre Cana Marriage preparation follows the Archdiocese of Cincinnati guidelines.