Invitation for Marriage Convalidation

Dear family,

May peace and grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ be with you and those you love. We would like to thank you for choosing this community of Saint Catherine of Siena Catholic Church as your spiritual home. You are truly God’s collaborators in both creating and forming a communion of life and love. There is no better way to foster this life other than providing it a stable family, which, for Catholics, should always arise with a valid/sacramental marriage.

What is a valid/sacramental marriage according to the Church? A valid Catholic marriage results from four elements:

1. the spouses are free to marry;
2. they freely exchange their consent;
3. in consenting to marry, they have the intention to marry for life, to be faithful to one another and be open to children; and
4. their consent is given in the presence of two witnesses and before a properly authorized Church minister. Exceptions to the last requirement must be approved by Church authority.

What difference does it make to marry in the Church? The answer is everything because of these following reasons:

1. Marriage is a beautiful gift from God where God forms an intimate union and equal partnership of a man and a woman.
2. Marriage is both a natural institution and a sacred covenant. In addition, a valid marriage between two baptized Christians is also a sacrament – a saving reality and a symbol of Christ’s love for his church (See Ephesians 5:25-33).
3. The free consent of the spouses makes a marriage from which a special bond arises between husband and wife. This bond is lifelong and exclusive and cannot be dissolved.
4. Fruitfulness, permanency, exclusivity, and faithfulness are essential to marriage because they foster and protect the two equal purposes of marriage. These two purposes are growth in mutual love between the spouses and the generation and education of children.
5. The family arises from marriage. Parents, children, and family members form what is called a domestic church or church of the home. This is the primary unit of the Church – the place where the Church lives in the daily love, care, hospitality, sacrifice, forgiveness, prayer and faith of ordinary families (Ibid.).

Isn’t it a beautiful gift to give to your child and yourselves? We would like to invite you to participate in a group convalidation and marriage event in June of 2020, 10:30 am at St Catherine of Siena Catholic Church.

To refresh our memories, a convalidation (or blessing of a marriage) from the Latin word meaning “to firm up” or “to strengthen.” A convalidation is for couples who married outside of the church. It is not merely a renewal of vows made previously but is a new act of consent which is essential to marriage, and the words that the couple expresses are the outward sign of the gift of self that they exchange. Please consider this as an act of love you can do to yourself and your children.

As you pray about this, we will eagerly wait for your response.

Please complete the registration form and return to the Parish Office. You can find the registration form here. 

Yours in Christ,

Fr Anthony Huong Le

Dn Albert Dizon

Dn Dave Holland