The Sacrament of Matrimony, generally known as marriage, is the sacred union between one man and one woman. Through this sacrament, a man and a woman enter into a sacred covenant with one another in the presence of God. The Sacrament of Matrimony is the foundation of the family, the “domestic Church,” which is why the Catholic community so deeply cherishes marriage and family life. It is through this vocation, or calling, that God desires each spouse not only to grow in love for one another, but also to work with him as co-creators to bring new life into the world.
Arrangements for weddings must be made by the parties to the proposed marriage at least six months in advance of the wedding and prior to setting a firm date. This will allow sufficient time for the couple to complete the required meetings, to attend the pre-marriage programs and to prepare a proper celebration of the sacrament.
You will need to sign up for Marriage Preparation and we will require that a copy of that Certificate.
Closer to the wedding, you will need to obtain a marriage licence. These are only valid for 90 days so please ensure it does not expire before your wedding day.
Please fill out the online Request Form for Marriage Celebration, below, and submit it to the office. The office will contact you to set up an appointment to see our pastor, Rev. John Orban.
Contact: Parish Office at 613-692-4254 or email office@stleonardparish.ca
For Marriage Prep, please visit catholicmarriageprep.com for the online course
Request Form for Marriage Celebration
Marriage as a Sacrament perfects the human love of the spouses
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church
1659 St. Paul said: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church. . . . This is a great mystery, and I mean in reference to Christ and the Church” (Eph 5:25, 32)
1660 The marriage covenant, by which a man and a woman form with each other an intimate communion of life and love, has been founded and endowed with its own special laws by the Creator. By its very nature it is ordered to the good of the couple, as well as to the generation and education of children. Christ the Lord raised marriage between the baptized to the dignity of a sacrament.
1661 The sacrament of Matrimony signifies the union of Christ and the Church. It gives spouses the grace to love each other with the love with which Christ has loved his Church; the grace of the sacrament thus perfects the human love of the spouses, strengthens their indissoluble unity, and sanctifies them on the way to eternal life (cf Council of Trent: DS 1799).
1662 Marriage is based on the consent of the contracting parties, that is, on their will to give themselves, each to the other, mutually and definitively, in order to live a covenant of faithful and fruitful love. 1663 Since marriage establishes the couple in a public state of life in the Church, it is fitting that its celebration be public, in the framework of a liturgical celebration, before the priest (or a witness authorized by the Church), the witnesses, and the assembly of the faithful. 1664 Unity, indissolubility, and openness to fertility are essential to marriage. Polygamy is incompatible with the unity of marriage; divorce separates what God has joined together; the refusal of fertility turns married life away from its “supreme gift,” the child (GS 50 # 1). 1665 The remarriage of persons divorced from a living, lawful spouse contravenes the plan and law of God as taught by Christ. They are not separated from the Church, but they cannot receive Eucharistic communion. They will lead Christian lives especially by educating their children in the faith.
1666 The Christian home is the place where children receive the first proclamation of the faith. For this reason the family home is rightly called “the domestic church,” a community of grace and prayer, a school of human virtues and of Christian charity.
