Marriage is a beautiful vocation from God to an exclusive, lifelong union between a man and a woman open to receiving God's blessing of children. Jesus performed His first miracle at the wedding at Cana (cf. Jn. 2:1-11) to show His particular care for marriage which He elevated from its natural state to the dignity of a Sacrament. As followers of Jesus we must be faithful to the true nature of marriage: a reflection of God’s own free, total, faithful and fruitful love. For it is only by reflecting God’s love that we will have strong marriages, strong families, and thus a strong society.

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WEDDINGS

Weddings at Ave Maria Catholic Church are celebrated for those couples in which either the bride or groom is a registered and active member of our parish. Weddings should be scheduled at least six months in advance to allow for proper spiritual preparation for the Sacrament.

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DIOCESE OF VENICE

"Witness To Love" is a virtues-based model of marriage preparation and renewal that integrates modern principles of psychology and the virtues to help couples facilitate and talk about their relationship. What makes "Witness To Love" unique is that the engaged couple chooses their own mentor couple. This is a couple they both admire and see as a source of faith formation. This mentor couple gives them a connection and integration into the parish. Through the sharing of the mentor couple’s own marriage journey, the engaged couple inherits a “lifeline” of support in their commitment to each other and to Jesus and His Church.

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"Witness To Love" link: https://witnesstolove.org/

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Couples under the age of 55: "Witness to Love Marriage" Preparation Program.

Couples 55 and over: attend the one day "Two Become One" retreat.

Couples over 75: 4 hours of personal instruction by a Priest or Deacon.
 

Military couples and geographically separated couples: the online program "Catholic Marriage Prep" can be used with Diocesan approval.