Matrimony

- When a couple ties the knot, they are engaging in matrimony. You can describe the actual
wedding celebration as matrimony, and also the state of being married, although it's a formal
word most often used in documents and in the words of the ceremony.
- It is the loving union of one man and one woman with the purpose of the procreation and
upbringing of children. In the Christian view marriage is a sacrament, instituted by Christ.
- The Latin word for matrimony is “matrimonium”, which comes from combining mater,
"mother," with the suffix “monium”, "action or condition." In the old days, matrimony was
basically the same thing as making a woman into a wife and mother.

Why is matrimony a sacrament?

- When the Catholic Church teaches that marriage between two baptized persons is a sacrament,
it is saying that the couple's relationship expresses in a unique way the unbreakable bond of
love between Christ and his people.

 The matter of a sacrament is "that part of a sacrament with which or to which something is done
in order to confer grace, materials used and actions performed".
 The form of a sacrament consists of the words and the intention by which the sacrament is
effected.

For Marriage, matter and form involve the free exchange of consent between the bride and groom. In
the United States, couples speak these words to one another: “I (name) take you (name) to be my
wife/husband. I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health. I will love
you and honor you all the days of my life.”

 Matter: The mutual consent of the couple and their promise to live together as husband and
wife in a lifelong union.
 Form: “I take you…” (spoken as a vow) or “I do” (spoken as an affirmation of the vow spoken by
the representative of the Church).
 Ordinary Minister(s): The baptized man and woman who give the consent.
 Note: The presence of a bishop, priest or deacon plus two witnesses are also required for a valid
marriage of two Catholics.