Sacrament of Marriage

A sacrament is a visible sign of an invisible reality. Matrimony is a sacrament and as such it is a sign to the world of the invisible God living in our midst - the living God who bears fruit in the lives of two people. They are a continual sign of His power in the world. There is special grace and power within every couple God has joined together. Everything they do as an individual or together, is a living out of their sacrament. Simple things like washing dishes, running a sweeper, driving to work, struggling to make a living, budgeting a small salary to meet big expenses - yes, these and all the other facets of life together, have power hidden within them to make them holy. Married life is the ground of holiness, love is the seed planted by God. Life together with its agonies and joys, pain and sacrifices, frustrations and tensions, moments of exultation and despair, all act as the rain and sun, thunder and lightning on a young sprout.

If you are wishing to get married at St. Bede, please contact the rectory (847) 587-2251 at least six months in advance of your planned wedding date. It is very important that you and your fiancé are free to marry both civilly and in the eyes of the church. At your first meeting with a priest or deacon that determination can be made.

Preparation is the secret to success. Without it, we must struggle through unknowns and hope we end up doing the right things at the right times. Studies on marriage reflect that couples who are well prepared before marriage have much less of a tendency to end up in divorce court. We here at St. Bede pledge to do everything we can to prepare you the best way possible for your life-long commitment. We, along with the Archdiocese of Chicago, have established guidelines of preparation that are part of the requirements for marriage here at St. Bede. These requirements and the sequence in which they occur are:

1. Initial Meeting with a priest or deacon
2. Liturgy Planning Workshop
3. Engagement Mass & blessing
4. Administration and follow-up of a premarital inventory
5. Attendance at an Archdiocese Marriage Preparation Program
6. Attendance at one or both of the seminars on Christian Sexuality and/or Introductory Natural Family Planning
7. Follow-up Meeting with priest or deacon
8. Rehearsal
9. Wedding
10. Post-wedding Follow-up

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Last modified: 01/12/09