As part of its pastoral responsibility the Church requires every couple to participate in a marriage preparation program in order that they will be properly ready to be married. Marriage preparation offers couples the opportunity to develop a better understanding of Christian marriage; to evaluate and deepen their readiness to live married life; and to gain insights into themselves as individuals and as a couple. It is especially effective in helping couples to deal with the challenges of the early years of marriage.

To adequately prepare for this great Sacrament that symbolizes the love of Christ for his Church, those wishing to be married are to contact the parish office at least six months in advance of the proposed date. The couple must meet with the priest before setting the date.

Couples may take their marriage preparation sessions through the Diocese of Pittsburgh, Engaged Encounter or another parish. An updated schedule for our diocese can be viewed at www.diopitt.org

Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist are sacraments of Christian initiation. They ground the common vocation of all Christ’s disciples, a vocation to holiness and to the mission of evangelizing the world. They confer the graces needed for the life according to the Spirit during this life as pilgrims on the march towards the homeland.

Two other sacraments, Holy Orders and Matrimony, are directed towards the salvation of others; if they contribute as well to personal salvation, it is through service to others that they do so. They confer a particular mission in the Church and serve to build up the People of God. (Source: The Vatican)