Saints & Models of Marriage
Known as the foster father of Jesus, this saint is a model for all husbands and fathers.
Who is Saint Joseph?
Published in 1992 and updated in 1997, this catechetical text provides an authoritative summary of Catholic teaching, including the theology of marriage and family.
What is the Catechism of the Catholic Church?
These spoken promises between the couple express their commitment to each other before God and the Church.
What are marriage vows?
At many Catholic weddings, the bride wears white to symbolize this virtue associated with Baptism and new life.
What is purity?
The creation of Adam and Eve in this first book of the Bible is often cited as the foundational model for marriage.
What is Genesis?
This saintly couple, according to tradition, are honored as the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Who are Saints Joachim and Anne?
Delivered by St. John Paul II, this collection of catecheses on human sexuality and the dignity of the body greatly impacted modern Catholic teaching on marriage.
What is the Theology of the Body?
At a Catholic wedding, the bride and groom often exchange these circular symbols to show their unending love.
What are wedding rings?
These often ring out in celebration immediately after the couple is pronounced husband and wife, symbolizing joy and unity.
What are church bells?
St. Paul exhorts, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the Church,” in this New Testament letter.
What is the Letter to the Ephesians?
Parents of John the Baptist, this righteous couple from the Gospel of Luke trusted in God’s promise even though they were advanced in age.
Who are Zechariah and Elizabeth?
According to basic Catholic teaching, married couples are encouraged to welcome children generously as a blessing from God. This principle is often referred to by this simple phrase.
What is being “open to life”?
A Catholic marriage is meant to be this—one that lasts for the entire lifetime of the spouses.
What is a lifelong commitment (or permanent bond)?
A popular Scripture reading at many Catholic weddings, this passage highlights that “Love is patient, love is kind.”
What is 1 Corinthians 13?
Jesus performed His first public miracle at a wedding in this town in Galilee.
What is Cana?
In the Acts of the Apostles, this married couple worked alongside St. Paul, offering hospitality and helping spread the Gospel.
Who are Priscilla and Aquila?
This official set of rules in the Catholic Church lays out requirements for a valid marriage, including the need for free consent and openness to life.
What is Canon Law?
In Catholic teaching, marriage is recognized as this sacred sign of God’s love, which brings special help (grace) to the couple.
What is a sacrament?
During the exchange of rings, the couple typically recites these, which pledge fidelity and unity “in good times and in bad.”
What are the wedding vows?
When asked about divorce, Jesus emphasized that marriage is meant to be this—thus, “what God has joined together, no human must separate.”
What is indissoluble?
Canonized in 2015, these two holy spouses were the parents of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and are celebrated for their exemplary Christian family life.
Who are Saints Louis and Zélie Martin?
Many Catholic couples use this Church-approved method of spacing pregnancies, which relies on observing and interpreting natural signs of fertility rather than using artificial contraception.
What is Natural Family Planning (NFP)?
In the Bible, St. Paul teaches that the love between a husband and wife should mirror the sacrificial love Jesus has for this community of believers.
What is the Church?
This special blessing is solemnly invoked over the bride and groom during the wedding liturgy, asking for God’s grace on their union.
What is the Nuptial Blessing?
This Old Testament book poetically celebrates marital love with verses like “I am my beloved’s, and my beloved is mine.”
What is the Song of Songs (or Song of Solomon)?