Marriage Prep Resources

Marriage Prep Resources for Parishes

Part of the mission of the Office of Marriage and Family Life is to assist parishes in their efforts to serve their parishioners. Below is a compilation of resources for parishes who are providing marriage preparation to couples.

Can't find what you need?
Please contact us directly if you are looking for information that is not listed on this webpage. Send an email to Deacon Eric Paige or call (206) 382-4864.

Marriage forms for parish use

Other resources

For Your Marriage (USCCB)

The pastor of the parish in which a wedding will be celebrated holds the primary responsiblity for ensuring proper formation of couples preparing for marriage.

For a comprehensive marriage preparation guide, we encourage you to refer to the For Your Marriage Resource Page, prepared by the USCCB. This resource page is geared towards couples but is also a very helpful compilation of resources for parishes.

These resources include:

FOCCUS Marriage Inventories

Marriage Blessing within Mass

The Order of Celebrating Matrimony includes a blessing for a married couple within Mass on the Anniversary of Marriage in Appendix III. This simple ritual provides structure for these blessings.

Please note, the text in the link above is provided by the Liturgy Office of England and Wales and some of the paragraph numbers are different than in the USCCB approved 2016 Liturgical Press publication. The text of the ritual, however is the same.

Code of Canon Law

Order of Celebrating Matrimony

Consult the text of the Order of Celebrating Matrimony to gain a deeper understanding of the rite including how to prepare for its celebration.

The introduction section of the Order of Celebrating Matrimony provides a very helpful explanation of how the Church understands and reverences the Sacrament of Matrimony. Pastoral Assistants for Faith Formation, Marriage Coordinators and others who work in marriage preparation can benefit from reading the first 11 paragraphs in the introduction as they provide helpful context for the reasons why the Church asks for proper preparation for the Sacrament of Matrimony.

Gaudium et spes

Archdiocese of Seattle Matrimony Policy

Promulgated in 2007 by Archbishop Brunett, the Archdiocese of Seattle's Matrimony Policy identified best practices for sacramental ministry related to Matrimony seeking to strengthen ties between parishes, faith communities and other Catholic institutions. With the establishment of the Office of Marriage and Family life in 2019, we are conducting a review of these policies in order to ensure that they continue to represent best practices and strengthen relationships thorughout the Church. The policy related to Matrimony is available using the link below:

Archdiocese of Seattle Matrimony Policy

If you have questions or ideas about how to improve the policy, please contact Deacon Eric Paige, Director of Marriage Family Life and Formation at (206) 382-4864 or eric.paige@seattlearch.org