At St. Johns...
Both Bride and Groom are required to be at least 19 years of age. Either the Bride or Groom, at least one, is required to be Catholic and have received the Sacrament of Baptism.
Please contact the Parish Office to arrange a meeting with our Pastor, Fr. Jacek, at least six months in advance of the desired wedding date. Both Bride and Groom are to be present for the meeting. You will be given a Marriage Packet containing Marriage Preparation information, including requirements for the Diocese of Rockford, as well as specific information pertaining to the ceremony at the parish. A parish sponsor couple will be assigned to you and guide you through the preparation process.
The Sacrament of Matrimony
The Bible begins with the Marriage of Man and Woman in the Garden of Eden (GN 1:27-28, 2:23-24) and ends with “the wedding feast of the Lamb” (REV 19:9). Scripture refers often to Marriage, its origin, purpose and meaning. And both the Old and New Testaments use Marriage as a metaphor to describe our relationship with God, including the covenant between Jesus and His spouse, the Church.
God created Man and Woman in His image and likeness (GN 1:26-27). He created them out of love, commanding them to imitate His love in their relations with each other. Man and woman were created for each other. The two of them become one body” (GN 2:24).
By their marriage, the couple becomes a witness of the love Christ has for the Church. One of the Nuptial Blessings in the liturgical celebration of marriage refers to this in saying, “Father, you have made the union of husband and wife so holy a mystery that it symbolizes the Marriage of Christ and His Church.”
Jesus brought to full awareness the Divine plan for marriage. In John’s Gospel, Christ’s first miracle occurs at the Wedding Feast of Cana. “The Church attaches great importance to Jesus’ presence at the wedding at Cana. She sees in it the confirmation of the goodness of marriage and the proclamation that henceforth marriage will be an efficacious sign of Christ’s presence” (CCC 1613).
Marriage is the intimate, exclusive, indissoluble communion of life and love freely entered by man and woman by the design of the Creator for the purpose of their own good and the procreation and education of children. The covenant of marriage was raised to the dignity of a sacrament by Christ.