Saying “superficial” marriage preparation programs leave many couples at risk of having invalid marriages or unprepared to cope with the struggles that arise in every marriage, Pope Francis endorsed suggestions for a yearlong “marriage catechumenate” drafted by the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life.
This climate includes an ever-changing perception of the importance of marriage in society. The 2021 American Family Survey by Desert News and Brigham Young University’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, released Oct. 12, found “the numbers continue to see slight corrosion in the public’s evaluation of marriage as an institution.”
How many times would an organist have to play the traditional “Bridal Chorus” ballad during the beginning of a wedding? For those in attendance for the ceremony outside Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Corona, Queens, on July 17, the answer was unequivocally simple: as many times it takes to let nearly 30 brides walk down the church aisle.
For Katrina Calvacca-Burger, having the opportunity to still hold her wedding on Oct. 24, 2020, at St. Mary Gate of Heaven Parish (Ozone Park) meant everything.
It’s not easy getting married during a worldwide pandemic, but New Jersey couples are rising to the challenge.
Two love stories that show how the sacrament of marriage and married life can flourish in the Diocese of Brooklyn.
All three wore the dress as they walked down the aisle of the same church — St. Agnes Church in Jefferson. Hillman’s great grandparents had moved into this Catholic parish in the 1940s, sent their children to school there and never left. Her grandmother was 19 when she got married. Her mom was 24, and Hillman was 28 on her wedding day this April.
This past winter, Matilde passed away on a trip to Peru, the family’s native country. The children had her body brought back to White Plains, N.Y., where they live, for the funeral. One day, while praying with the family, their cousin-in-law Manuel Mendoza felt the Holy Spirit nudge him to invite the siblings who had been married civilly back to the faith.
