The Sacrament of Marriage

 “So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human   being must separate.” (Mt 19:6)

Marriage, also named as matrimonial covenant, is a sacrament by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life and which is ordered by its nature to the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring.

Matters that couples should pay attention to when preparing the Marriage Process:

1. Couples preparing for marriage should register at his (her) parish (according to the current address) one year before, to arrange the wedding date and fill in a form of personal information and freedom of state of both parties.

2. The Parish priest should meet the couple as soon as possible, and make the prenuptial inquiries. The parish priest can authorize another priest to perform this duty.

3. The parties should report to the Macau Marriage Registry Office to declare as Catholic, and will complete the wedding ceremony in a Catholic Church, in order to simplify the Civil Law procedure.

4. Participation in a pre-marriage formation organized by the "Macau Catholic Family Advisory Council" (Formation sessions are held on a quarterly basis).

5. Before the wedding ceremony, the parish priest has the responsibility to conduct catechetical formation on marriage, as well as to discuss the liturgical arrangements of the ceremony. The parish priest can authorize another priest to perform this duty.