WORSHIPPING AND PRAYER

The final building block, Worshipping and Prayer, celebrates the vocation of marriage in worship and community life. The emphasis on prayer for marriage, including for those preparing for marriage and those struggling in marriage, is a regular part of our worship experience.

From the U.S. Bishops

"Pope Benedict XVI explains how, in the Eucharist, the very meaning of marriage is transfigured: 'the imagery of marriage between God and Israel is now realized in a way previously inconceivable: it had meant standing in God's presence, but now it becomes union with God through sharing in Jesus' self-gift, sharing in his body and blood.'" (p. 25-26)

- excerpted from Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan
A Pastoral Letter of the USCCB (November 17, 2009)

Our Action Plan

1. Designate monthly "Marriage-Building Sundays" to celebrate anniversaries.
2. Regularly pray for those who marriages have faced difficulties and that marriage, as the permanent and exclusive union of one man and one woman, be protected and promoted in our society and culture.
3. Offer opportunities to pray for marriage as a community as well as in-home resources to help families pray together.