Click here for "Preparing for Marriage 2010" Brochure

Preparing for your wedding day is no small task; it takes much planning, coordination, and effort to make the day a special one. 

However, of greater importance is preparing for the days after. Preparing for your lifelong marriage is vitally important.

On your wedding day you will say to each other, before God and before your families and friends, "I take you all the days of my life." You will enter into an unbreakable covenant. Marriage is a lifelong covenant freely given and freely received by a man and a woman. Christ gives us the grace to live out the covenant with it’s demands and responsibilities of married life with passion, faithfulness, joy and fulfillment.

Marriage is a sacrament as well as a covenant. Sacraments make visible the hidden realities of God. They point to what awaits us when we enter into His kingdom. Through these outward signs, Christ gives us grace to live life as Christian men and women so that we may, in fact, live in love for eternity.

For more Marriage Preparation details, please see the Menu on the left for descriptions of the various Marriage Preparation programs, including Workshops, Engaged Encounter, Hispanic Workshops, Second Marriage Workshops, Parish-based Programs and others. 

There is also a Planner to help your preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage to proceed smoothly, including setting the wedding date and freedom to marry, the meetings with the witnessing clergy and the FOCCUS pre-marital inventory. 

The Marriage Planner/Timeline suggests the time frame to complete certain portions of your preparation. The FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) are broken down into 4 categories: The Sacrament of Marriage; Wedding Liturgy: Readings, Music, Vows; Wedding Liturgy: Attendants and Presiders; and Wedding Liturgy: Special Features. If your questions aren’t addressed in this section, please contact the Marriage Preparation office at 856-583-6164 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

May this be a grace-filled time for you.

To ensure that each couple married in the Catholic Church receives proper preparation for their future life together, all parishes in the State of New Jersey follow the PASTORAL POLICIES AND GUIDELINES FOR MARRIAGE PREPARATION FOR THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN NEW JERSEY.

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