“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.” [CCC 1601]

Marriage preparation is to begin 9-12 months before the wedding day.  Please contact the pastor so that all preparations can be completed in time for the wedding and marriage.

Remember, a wedding is just a day,
a marriage is a Lifetime!

If you are interested, please call our office at 712-226-4320 to register.

All couples beginning preparation for marriage are to complete the components of marriage preparation as outlined in The Diocese of Sioux City Marriage Preparation Policies and Practices promulgated by Bishop Nickless on 29 December 2013. 

This process requires at least nine [9] months of preparation and will include meeting with the pastor to complete the marriage inventory and liturgy planning, completion of the Witness to Love program that utilizes sponsor couples, and completion of a NFP class from the approved local NFP teacher.

For more information contact the pastor.

If you are interested, please call our office at 712-226-4320 to register.

[from www.foryourmarriage.org] Marriage does matter.

After all, we are all in this together. As members of society, we count on each other every day to keep our commitments. We feel more secure when we can depend on others.  Although marriage has changed a great deal the benefits of marriage endure.

Social science research confirms that marriage is an important social good that brings a wide range of positive outcomes for adults and children alike including:
[1] on average, married people are better off financially,
[2] marriage is associated with better health, sex and safety for men and women, and
[3] children do better when they live with their own two married parents.

1. Pray together. 
2. Banish divorce as an option. 
3. Get help when needed. 
4. Practice NFP.
5. Put marriage first. 

Divorce does not end the sacrament of marriage. Divorce only ends the civil legal aspects of marriage. Divorced persons are encouraged to utilize the Eucharist and Reconciliation.

Only after an annulment or death of one of the spouses is a formerly married person free to court and marry.

If you have a question or need counsel on this, please contact Fr Mark Stoll -- marks@scdiocese.org

Jesus intended marriage to be a permanent commitment between a man and a woman, a relationship that would last throughout their entire lives.

But some marriages break down, oftentimes because there is something missing from the very beginning—some element that keeps the relationship from being the kind of permanent commitment Jesus intended.

An annulment is an official decree of the Church that says: Upon careful examination, after a thorough investigation, a particular failed marriage appears not to have been the kind of (sacramental) relationship that Jesus intended. A church annulment doesn't mean the marriage didn't exist; it simply says that from all appearances the failed marriage in question was not a sacrament in the full sense intended by Jesus.

Children born in such marriages are not thereby declared illegitimate, since an annulment does not "dissolve" a marriage or declare that it never existed.