What the Catholic Church Teaches About Marriage

Dear Parishioners and Friends,

Questions have been asked in regard to the ruling made recently by the Supreme Court on marriage.  Our own bishop and others have already made public statements.  The Supreme Court has made a ruling about a civil law based on their understanding and definition of marriage. The court was profoundly split on this decision. Only one vote carried the ruling.

When we consider the process of lawmaking in the United States, our legislative body, the Congress, make the laws.  The Supreme Court interprets the enacted laws and the Constitution. The decisions of the Supreme Court have at times been reversed.

The nation and society may continue to discuss the definition of civil marriage. Our Constitution guarantees citizens the right to free speech, which includes freedom of conscience and religious thought.  As religious believers we are called to persevere and work lovingly for the truth.

 Our religious tradition for the past two thousand years has affirmed the traditional view of marriage. Our Catholic faith teaches that marriage consists of a partnership between a man and a woman, ordered to their mutual good, and towards the procreation and education of children. Our Popes and bishops have been clear in teaching this understanding of marriage*, especially when it is celebrated as a Sacrament of the Church.

Please pray for our nation and society.

Your Pastor,
Fr. Bruce Bradley

*“The matrimonial covenant, by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, is by its nature ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of offspring; this covenant between baptized persons has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament.” #1601 (Taken from Part Two, Article 7, nos. 1601-1666, The Catechism of the Catholic Church.)