Marriage

The Archdiocese of Philadelphia requires engaged couples to complete a Pre-Cana program to prepare for the Sacrament of Marriage. Nativity BVM offers Pre-Cana here at the parish. To begin your preparation, please call the Rectory Office at 610-566-0185 and set up an appointment to meet with Father Bell.

A wedding is a celebration of the love of a man and a woman dedicated not only to each other, but also to a life of service to God and to mankind. The dedicated love springs from the very core of the man and the woman who are made in the image and likeness of God.

Our Lord Jesus Christ will always be there to assist us with His grace and very life. He pledges His grace to those who celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony with a living faith. The Catholic Church sees marriage as a vocation – a special calling from God, whereby a man and a woman make visible in their lives the concrete love of Christ for His Church. A couple who approach the priest for marriage should see their future married life as a life of complete fidelity to the plan of God, their Creator.

Your preparation for marriage calls on you to deepen your relationship by sharing with one another your thoughts and feelings, your beliefs and doubts, your strengths and weaknesses about key aspects of marriage.

To facilitate the serious and intense sharing of two persons emotionally involved with each other, we administer the FOCCUS Program (Facilitating Open Couple Communication, Understanding and Study) which deals with the real issues that couples face.

This program serves as a springboard for deepening communication between engaged couples. It is recommended that you complete your FOCCUS prior to attending your Pre-Cana Program.