Marriage

The Sacrament of Marriage: Give love and Give life

Contact the parish priest or the priest-in-charge according to the language group.

The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.

 

Matrimonial Consent

The parties to a marriage covenant are a baptized man and woman, free to contract marriage and who freely express their consent; “to be free” means:
– not being under constraint;
– not impeded by any natural or ecclesiastical law.

The Church normally requires that the faithful contract marriage according to the ecclesiastical form. Several reasons converge to explain this requirement:
– Sacramental marriage is a liturgical act. It is therefore appropriate that it should be celebrated in the public liturgy of the Church;
– Marriage introduces one into an ecclesiastical order, and creates rights and duties in the Church between the spouses and towards their children;
– Since marriage is a state of life in the Church, certainty about it is necessary (hence the obligation to have witnesses);
– The public character of the consent protects the “I do” once given and helps the spouses remain faithful to it.

Mixed marriages and disparity of cult

A mixed marriage (marriage between a Catholic and a baptized non-Catholic) which often arises requires particular attention on the part of couples and their pastors. A case of marriage with disparity of cult (between a Catholic and a non-baptized person) requires even greater circumspection. Difference of confession between the spouses does not constitute an insurmountable obstacle for marriage, when they succeed in placing in common what they have received from their respective communities, and learn from each other the way in which each lives in fidelity to Christ. But the difficulties of mixed marriages must not be underestimated. They arise from the fact that the separation of Christians has not yet been overcome. The spouses risk experiencing the tragedy of Christian disunity even in the heart of their own home. Disparity of cult can further aggravate these difficulties. Differences about faith and the very notion of marriage, but also different religious mentalities, can become sources of tension in marriage, especially as regards the education of children. The temptation to religious indifference can then arise.

According to the Canon law in force Roman Catholic Church, a mixed marriage needs for liceity the express permission of ecclesiastical authority. In case of disparity of cult an express dispensation from this impediment is required for the validity of the marriage. This permission or dispensation presupposes that both parties know and do not exclude the essential ends and properties of marriage; and furthermore that the Catholic party confirms the obligations, which have been made known to the non-Catholic party, of preserving his or her own faith and ensuring the baptism and education of the children in the Catholic Church.

Effects of the Sacrament of Marriage

“From a valid marriage arises a bond between the spouses which by its very nature is perpetual and exclusive; furthermore, in a Christian marriage the spouses are strengthened and, as it were, consecrated for the duties and the dignity of their state by a special sacrament.”

The grace of the Sacrament of Matrimony

This grace proper to the sacrament of Matrimony is intended to perfect the couple’s love and to strengthen their indissoluble unity. By this grace they “help one another to attain holiness in their married life and in welcoming and educating their children.”

How wonderful the bond between two believers, now one in hope, one in desire, one in discipline, one in the same service! They are both children of one Father and servants of the same Master, undivided in spirit and flesh, truly two in one flesh. Where the flesh is one, one also is the spirit.

Conjugal Love

“Conjugal love involves a totality, in which all the elements of the person enter – appeal of the body and instinct, power of feeling and affectivity, aspiration of the spirit and of will. It aims at a deeply personal unity, a unity that, beyond union in one flesh, leads to forming one heart and soul; it demands indissolubility and faithfulness in definitive mutual giving; and it is open to fertility.

The love of the spouses requires, of its very nature, the unity and indissolubility of the spouses’ community of persons, which embraces their entire life: “so they are no longer two, but one flesh.” The “intimate union of marriage, as a mutual giving of two persons, and the good of the children, demand total fidelity from the spouses and require an unbreakable union between them.”

Separation of Bed and Board

Yet there are some situations in which living together becomes practically impossible for a variety of reasons. In such cases the Church permits the physical separation of the couple and their living apart. The spouses do not cease to be husband and wife before God and so are not free to contract a new union. In this difficult situation, the best solution would be, if possible, reconciliation. The Christian community is called to help these persons live out their situation in a Christian manner and in fidelity to their marriage bond which remains indissoluble.

In fidelity to the words of Jesus Christ –

“Whoever divorces his wife and marries another, commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery”

The Church maintains that a new union cannot be recognized as valid, if the first marriage was. If the divorced are remarried civilly, they find themselves in a situation that objectively contravenes God’s law. Consequently, they cannot receive Eucharistic communion as long as this situation persists. For the same reason, they cannot exercise certain ecclesial responsibilities. Reconciliation through the sacrament of Penance can be granted only to those who have repented for having violated the sign of the covenant and of fidelity to Christ, and who are committed to living in complete continence.

The openness to fertility

“By its very nature the institution of marriage and married love is ordered to the procreation and education of the offspring and it is in them that it finds its crowning glory.” Children are the supreme gift of marriage and contribute greatly to the good of the parents themselves. God himself said: “It is not good that man should be alone,” and “from the beginning [he] made them male and female”; wishing to associate them in a special way in his own creative work, God blessed man and woman with the words: “Be fruitful and multiply.” Hence, true married love and the whole structure of family life which results from it, without diminishment of the other ends of marriage, are directed to disposing the spouses to cooperate valiantly with the love of the Creator and Savior, who through them will increase and enrich his family from day to day.

Spouses to whom God has not granted children can nevertheless have a conjugal life full of meaning, in both human and Christian terms. Their marriage can radiate a fruitfulness of charity, of hospitality, and of sacrifice.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE MARRIAGE PREPARATION COURSE

Marriage and the Family are the foundation of society and that happy, stable marriages and families make a strong society. Today the attacks on the sanctity and stability of marriage and the family are a matter of serious concern. It is, therefore very important that our Catholic couples be well prepared to receive the Sacrament of Marriage.

The Catholic Church insists on attending Marriage Preparation Course by the couple before their intended date of entering into the Sacrament of Matrimony. The Marriage Preparation Course is not just a requirement of the Church to get married. It is also meant to help an adult, have a realistic look at how he/she can make the Sacramental Marriage work and grow, in and through the relationship as husband and wife, every day. Participation in the Marriage Preparation Course is a prerequisite to receive the sacrament of Matrimony in the Catholic Church. The Course may be completed at preferably two months before the sacramental marriage.

Marriage Preparation Courses at St. Anne’s Catholic Church, Amager are held in English on an individual basis.

To ensure correctness of the names on the certificates, names are required to be written IN BLOCK LETTERS while registering at the Parish Office. Only registered participants will be allowed in the hall. It is suggested that registration for the course be done at least three weeks in advance, as the number of participants is limited, on a first come first served basis.

MARRIAGE REQUIREMENT

Those who intend to get married in the Catholic Church, should inform the Parish Priest / priest in-charge of the respective language group, at least SIX MONTHS prior to the marriage. Such early notification is necessary so that various documents may be obtained and all the relevant marriage formalities be completed.

 

  • Certificate of Baptism (Can.1055)*
  • Certificate of Confirmation (Can.1065)*
  • Certificate of “Freedom to Marry” from the Priest-in-charge of the Parish where one was a resident last.
  • Certificate of “Singleness from the State” (Prøvelsesattest) in Denmark*

(Civil Marriage: If a civil marriage has taken place, one must produce a certificate from the Registry Office (Folkeregister) stating one’s civil status before the civil marriage took place. This is in order to certify that the persons have not been married previously.)

Apply here for Prøvelsesattest
Apply here for Change of Name

Marriage Preparation Course Certificate

(*) Above certificates are to be submitted in original and are to be recently issued (not older than six months). Couples who wish to get married at St. Anne’s Catholic Church, Amager may refer to the following additional guideline: Letter of Singleness from the respective Consulate / Embassy.

An appointment must be booked for a meeting with the Parish Priest, in order to have the pre-nuptial enquiry. The couple is responsible for wedding arrangements such as choir, church decoration, Mass booklets, etc. The choice of readings and printing of Mass booklets must be done in consultation with the priest.