Sacrament of Marriage

The Sacrament of Marriage 

Congratulations on your engagement and the journey of love in your life with that special person. Your engagement is early stage of your love story, your future marriage and beyond is full of hope and promise. 

Thank you for taking the first steps in considering a Catholic marriage ceremony.

As a member of the ADF, the Military Diocese through our chaplains is extremely happy to support you with advice as to your marriage preparation and practical organisation for your forth coming wedding. The Catholic chaplain can guide you through the civil and church administration (completion of marriage forms) and accompany you in preparing yourselves spiritually for the marriage in the Church whether your marriage is to be witnessed by either a Defence chaplain or civilian priest or deacon at a church of your liking away from a Defence base. 

The chaplain can answer your queries as to whether a Catholic marriage can take place in place other than in a church setting. For further details regarding your forthcoming marriage, you might like to contact:   

Your local Catholic Chaplain by calling 
DEFENCE SWITCH: 1300 333 3623

Chancery of the Military Diocese:  sec@cmoa.org.au or phone:  0436 383 104  
The Chancery will facilitate contact with the appropriate chaplain as required.

Pre-Marriage Preparation

We would strongly recommend that you undertake a Christian pre-marriage course in the time prior to the wedding. 

Marriage is a personal investment for life, a commitment that will shape the rest of your life; civilly, spiritually, and emotionally. The Catholic ceremony is a sacred event, a sacrament. God is present in the taking of your marriage vows. You are invited to make a marriage covenant in him. His unconditional love becomes the foundation for the living of your vows, strengthening you at all time and stages of life with the outpouring of grace. 

Marriage courses can either be taken physically in your location or online. Your chaplain can advise you of pre-marriage courses conducted in your location.

To further assist you, please consider the programs below:

• ‘SmartLoving Engaged’  
• ‘Prepare Enrich’  

BULLETIN NOTICE

FREE Gift - SmartLoving Fertility - Year of Jubilee 

To celebrate the Jubilee Year which is marked as a time to re-establish a proper relationship with God and with one another, Catholic marriage ministry, SmartLoving, is offering its Fertility online course as a free gift.

The course is designed to teach couples the Sympto-Thermal method to manage their fertility in line with their faith. It incorporates a unique blend of scientific insights with relationship frameworks and Catholic Theology to foster intimacy and help couples flourish.

Use Coupon code: Jubilee2025 for FREE access to SmartLoving Fertility. 

The offer is available for all of July and August. Visit: www.smartloving.org/jubilee