1 - Canon Law (1983): Catechesis, Preparation for Marriage & Marriage Enrichment
Canons 1063 & 1064 Law: Catechesis and Preparation for the vocation of Marriage [updated 10-06-2023]
Canon 1063 — Pastors [i.e. parishes] of souls are obliged to take care that their ecclesiastical community offers the Christian faithful the assistance by which the matrimonial state is preserved in a Christian spirit and advances in perfection. This assistance must be offered especially by:
1° preaching, catechesis adapted to minors, youth, and adults, and even the use of instruments of social communication, by which the Christian faithful are instructed about the meaning of Christian marriage and about the function of Christian spouses and parents;
2° personal preparation to enter marriage, which disposes the spouses to the holiness and duties of their new state;
3° a fruitful liturgical celebration of marriage which is to show that the spouses signify and share in the mystery of the unity and fruitful love between Christ and the Church;
4° help offered to those who are married, so that faithfully preserving and protecting the conjugal covenant, they daily come to lead holier and fuller lives in their family.
[The commentary offers more specific information about the 4 points of Canon 1063]
…. “Preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage” Pontifical Council for the Family, May 13, 1996, p102-103, n. 20 calls for the entire diocese to be involved in marriage preparation and recommends creating a "diocesan commission for marriage preparation, including a group for the pastoral care of the family." The document states that “marriage preparation” is not limited to assisting couples prior to their marriage but also assists married couples in living out their marriage in the fullest way possible.
Remote, Proximate, and Immediate Preparation
Remote preparation takes place in infancy, childhood, and adolescence, in the family, in school, and in formation groups. Children and young people who learn what the obligations of marriage are, and who learn to appreciate the importance of the sacrament, will be better able to apply those teachings to their own lives when they marry.
Proximate preparation. The Pastoral letter of the American Bishops, Marriage: Love and Live in the Divine Plan (2009) is even more specific about when proximate preparation for marriage should begin: “…Proximate preparation begins around puberty and involves a more specific preparation for the sacraments, including an understanding of healthy relationships, sexuality, the virtue of chastity, and responsible parenthood….”. Proximate Marriage preparation assists individuals and couples to dialogue so as to understand and deal with the differences inherited from their Family of Origin as they discern their vocation to marriage and family life. For Better & For Ever ™ was re-designed in 1996 to give much more attention to Family of Origin.
Immediate preparation is the final stage before the wedding takes place - As the couple prepares to celebrate the marriage, they should review all they have learned and receive spiritual and liturgical preparation [NOT presentations of new content].
Continued Pastoral Care after Marriage
The canon does not forget those who are already married: they too need to have continued pastoral care in order to sustain them in this vocation and to help them live it in an ever more fruitful manner. This is especially important during the first five years of married life as the couple is adjusting to their new responsibilities as married people and possibly as parents. Continued pastoral care could take the form of "post-marriage courses to be carried out in parishes or deaneries." This concept of “follow-up” beyond the wedding ceremony is clearly written into Canon Law. Parishes using the Sponsor Couple program train their sponsors to take responsibility for this ministry. At the same time, parishes, deaneries and the Pastoral offices of the diocese need to provide “post marriage courses” for married couples.
The Vocation to the Married or to the Celibate Life
We should speak of the married vocation and the vocation to the priestly or religious life in the same context. It is important that young people understand the different vocations, and it is essential that married life be given its proper due. It is not a vocation that is secondary vis-a-vis the priestly or religious life, it is the road to holiness that most of the baptized will follow.
Obligation of the Local Ordinary to Provide Marriage Preparation
Canon 1064 — It is for the local ordinary to take care that such assistance is organized fittingly, after he has also heard men and women proven by experience and expertise if it seems opportune.
It is the local ordinary who should ensure that appropriate forms of pre- and post- matrimonial help spoken of in the previous canon are provided. The canon is practical in stating that the ordinary should consult, if it is opportune, with men and women whose experience in these matters can help him provide the best help possible.