Marriage
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
Ephesians 5:15
At its most basic level, marriage is a union between a man and a woman for the purpose of procreation and mutual love and support.
In the Catholic Church, marriage is considered to be more than a natural institution. It was elevated by Christ Himself, in His participation in the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11), to be one of the seven Sacraments. A marriage between two Christians, therefore, has a supernatural element as well as a natural one.
The ministers of the Sacrament of Marriage are the spouses themselves, because the mark - the external sign - of the Sacrament is not the wedding Mass, but the marriage contract itself. This does not mean the wedding license that the couple receives, but the vows that each spouse makes to the other. As long as each spouse intends to contract a true marriage, the Sacrament is performed.
The effect of the Sacrament is an increase in sanctifying grace for the spouses, a participation in the divine life of God Himself.
Marriages at Holy Cross
Do you have some link to Holy Cross parish specifically? Do you go to church regularly? Are you confirmed in the Catholic faith? What is your finance’s name? What is her/his religious tradition? Are you registered at a church here in the city of Regina?
If you are not registered at a parish or do not go to a church on a regular basis, check out the closest church to where you live in your neighborhood. The Archdiocese of Regina has a list (https://archregina.sk.ca/parishes?combine=Regina) Go and introduce yourself to the priest. Marriage is a sacrament of family; the church community is your supporter and you in turn celebrate and serve with them.
The priest will want you to register officially. Then he will want to see you at church, practicing your faith and want to encourage you to become an active member. Most priests require at least 6 months notice. This gives him time to make sure the marriage will be valid (he will be checking the backgrounds of yourself and your fiancé). As well, the priest needs to make sure the church and he are available to you on a date that suits all concerned.
If you will be coming to Holy Cross, we would like you to fill in a Holy Cross registration form.
He will also want you to do a FOCCUS survey. The FOCCUS is a questionnaire of about 150 questions, written to not only get a sense of your compatibility (as a couple) but as to your understand of the Catholic values required in marriage. It lets you and father know what are the areas you have discussed concerning the success of a marriage. This survey is tabulated by the parish or at Catholic Family Services Regina and for which there will be a fee. The questions are answered by each of you separately and then the answers are tabulated and sent to father. Your contact at CFS is Anemarie at 306 525-0521 or email by anemarie@cfsregina.ca. Their hours of operation at 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, over the noon hour as well.
Second, you will be required to take a marriage preparation course. This could be done at the parish you register with or with another organization, like Catholic Family Services Regina (https://www.cfsregina.ca/marriage-preperation - under Family and Counseling Services). This is usually discussed at the first meeting.
If you live close to us and are interested in becoming a member of Holy Cross, Fr. Richard Jasiak would want to meet you as soon as schedules allow. He can be reached at pastor@holycrossregina.ca You are invited to contact him directly and ask for a meeting. This is the easiest way to contact him.