General Information on the Sacrament of Marriage

Catechism of the Catholic Church
Click above to access the start of the content on this sacrament. Once on the website, hit ‘Next’ to proceed to the following article.

Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church
Click on the link to access the contents page. Scroll down and click on the heading ‘The Sacraments at the service of Communion and Mission’. Then scroll down to read the questions and answers on the Sacrament of Matrimony.

American Catholic
This website offers links to articles on the sacrament as well as questions and answers related to Marriage.

Catholic Answers
A link to an article entitled ‘The Permanence of Matrimony’

May separated spouses receive Communion?
Link to an article by Fr. Vincent Twomey, SVD, courtesy of The Word magazine.


Marriage Preparation and Guidance

Accord
Website of the Catholic organisation in Ireland that seeks to promote the Christian view of marriage as well as helping those couples preparing for and experiencing marriage.

Getting Married
A website aimed especially at those couples that are preparing to get married.

Retrouvaille
Website for the programme that aims to help, heal and renew those couples who are experiencing difficulties in their married lives.

Preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage
A document produced by the Pontifical Council for the Family and dating from 27 May 1996. It is aimed at explaining the significance of the sacrament to those preparing for it.


Church Documents on Marriage and the Family

Humanae Vitae
Encyclical Letter of Pope Paul VI dating from 25 July 1968. It deals with the question of the regulation of births in marriage and addresses the proper and improper use of marriage and sex.

Familiaris Consortio
An Apostolic Exhortation of Pope John Paul II from 15 December 1981. It stresses the importance of the Christian family in the modern world.

Theology of the Body
An index page for the series of teachings on this subject by Pope John Paul II given over the course of numerous General Audiences. They address the many issues of human love in the plan of God.

The Truth and Meaning of Human Sexuality
These guidelines for education within the family were published by the Pontifical Council for the Family on 21 November 1995. They are designed to help Catholic parents transmit the values of love and chastity to their children, thereby witnessing to the vocation of marriage.

Christian Marriage – Bishops of Ireland
The contents of the Lenten Pastoral of 1969 on this subject.

Love is for Life
A Pastoral Letter of the Irish Bishops produced at Lent in 1985. It discusses the many aspects of marriage, family and sexual ethics from the Catholic perspective.