THE GOOD NEWS
ARCHBISHOP BELTRAN

The Good News

...Marriage Guidelines

God’s love for us is manifested in countless signs, words and events. Of these many experiences, seven of them stand out as unique and most salutary. We call these seven, The Sacraments.

Sacraments are outward signs instituted by Christ, through them, divine life is shared with us by the work of the Holy Spirit. The fact that Matrimony (marriage between two baptized people) is one of the seven Sacraments indicates the very special sacred character of marriage.

Because of the fundamental importance of marriage, the Church carefully prepares and guides people to celebrate marriage properly. Because of the far reaching effects of marriage the Church strives to help husbands and wives to live their marriage faithfully and devoutly. Thus, the reason for policies and guidelines for marriage.

For several years, the dioceses of our Province have reviewed and studied and updated our guidelines for marriage. All the Priests Councils, the Family Life Departments and many other faithful lay people have been consulted in the process, resulting in the following decree:

PROVINCE OF OKLAHOMA CITY

We, the undersigned Bishops of the Province of Oklahoma City do hereby promulgate the following text: Preparing for Marriage. These are the official policies of the Roman Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, the Diocese of Little Rock and the Diocese of Tulsa.

Marriage, as the Church teaches is a covenant or partnership of life between a man and woman, which is ordered to the well-being of the spouses and to the procreation and upbringing of children. When validly contracted between two baptized people, marriage is a sacrament.

Because we firmly believe this teaching, we have spent several years collaborating in the preparation of these policies. We are grateful to the many people who have been consulted and contributed to the revision of these policies.

These policies are effective the First Sunday of Advent, November 28, 2004.

This document is signed by Most Rev. Eusebius J. Beltran, Archbishop of Oklahoma City; Most Rev. Peter J. Sartain, Bishop of Little Rock; and Most Rev. Edward J. Slattery, Bishop of Tulsa.

Because of the importance of these policies we intend to publish them in their entirety in The Sooner Catholic. The first part of these policies is therefore printed in this current issue.

I hope and pray that all young people contemplating marriage will read and study these policies. I hope that all parents will also read and study them. In that way, all of us of this Archdiocese can better understand and appreciate and celebrate the beautiful sacrament of Matrimony.