The Sacrament of Marriage was instituted by Jesus Christ to form a new covenant between a man, woman, and God Himself. Through this sacrament of service, spouses make permanent vows to entrust themselves to one another and to seek the kingdom of heaven as one. This is why the Catholic Church takes marriage so seriously and seeks to ensure that couples preparing for marriage and made aware of the many graces and challenges that they will encounter.
For proper preparation to happen, our parishes require at least six months of preparation before the actual wedding date. This preparation involves Natural Family Planning, FOCCUS (an inventory that assist in having conversations about various aspects of married life), a “Two Becoming One” retreat, and several meetings with one of our priests or deacons.
Once a couple is engaged, they are encouraged to contact the Eastside Parish Office to set up a meeting with one of our priests or deacons to set a wedding date and begin the preparation process.