Parish Prayer Day for Marriage and Family Life
On Saturday next 20th of January, our parish prays for the 24 hours for Marriage & Family Life. As always, we begin the new year by praying for Couples preparing for Marriage, especially those couple who will get married this year. Their marriages will be of great importance for the Church and for society. It is vital that parish communities take on responsibility for them and integrate them into the life of the community.
To make this prayer continuous, many people in our parish have committed themselves to a specific hour of prayer in such a way that the whole day and night are covered.
One of the purposes of this prayer is to highlight the importance of Marriage and Family Life for the Church and for society. A second purpose of it is to acknowledge the responsibility the parish has for the health and well-being of marriage and family life because of the Sacramental relationships that have been established between couples, families and the parish community.
Proposed Theme: Couples getting married in the parish in 2024
Pope Francis: We need to help young people to discover the beauty and dignity of marriage. They should be helped to perceive the attraction of a complete union that elevates and perfects the social dimension of existence, gives sexuality its deepest meaning, and benefits children by offering them the best context for their growth and development. (The Joy of Love No. 205)
I encourage Christian communities to recognise the great benefits that they themselves receive from supporting engaged couples as they grow in love. (The Joy of Love No. 207)
Some thoughts:
- One the most important decisions a person will ever make is the decision to get married. It will change that person’s life forever
- Along with this is the decision of whom to marry!
- And then there is the decision of where to get married.
Many people are making those decisions in our parish this coming year. They need our prayers.
The question of where to get married is a very real one for couples today. There was a time, not too long ago, when it was taken for granted that almost every wedding would be in the church. That is no longer the case. Some choose to be married in the Registry Office; others in an hotel or other such place in a civil ceremony. But many couples continue to choose a wedding in the Church.
It is to these latter that we owe special care because they choose to marry among us.
It is mandatory for couples getting married in the Catholic Church to do a Marriage Preparation course. This doesn’t always happen and this is a great loss. The purpose of these courses is to make sure that the couples know what they are doing by getting married among us and are able to do it with joy. It is the responsibility of the parish community to encourage these couples to prepare well. It is a great benefit for the couples themselves. It is also of benefit to the whole community as they set out on their new journey of faith.
The Parish Community also needs to prepare to welcome and accompany these new couples in their marriage journey. The following questions and suggested actions should help in this preparation.