“Getting married is the boldest and most idealistic thing that most of us will ever do.” (Maggie Gallagher, co-author of The Case for Marriage) Pause today to remember your wedding day. Are there any dreams that you had on that day that you now think were unrealistic? Think of one thing about your marriage that has turned out to be better than you expected.

All married couples disagree at one time or another. Remember this rule for ‘fighting fair’: “Feelings are neither right nor wrong, they merely are.” (Marriage Encounter) Accept your spouse’s feelings even if you don’t share them. Share your own feelings without rancor.

As you prepare for Thanksgiving, thank God for your spouse. Tell your spouse a specific quality that endears you to her or him. Remember that there are many people in our world still looking for love, still looking for a soul mate.

In terms of housekeeping, on a scale of 1 to 10 are you a “CLEAN” or a “DIRTY”? Likewise, are you a “NEAT” or a “SLOPPY”? What is your spouse? Often clean and neat are equated with moral superiority. As desirable as these qualities might be, morality comes into play when differences cause tension between you and neither is willing to budge (or your home would not pass muster even with a blind health inspector).

“Love the family! Defend and promote it as the basic cell of human society; nurture it as the prime sanctuary of life. Give great care to the preparation of engaged couples and be close to the young married couples, so that they will be for their children and the whole community an eloquent testimony of God’s love.” (Pope John Paul II, 2001) Pray today for volunteers who guide couples through marriage preparation or marriage enrichment programs.

“A successful marriage is one in which you fall in love many times, always with the same person.” (D. W. McLaughlin)

“It is when the spouses no longer feel like being in each other’s company always, when they would rather be elsewhere some of the time, that their love begins to be tested and will be found to be present or absent.” (M. Scott Peck, The Road Less Traveled)

Do you feel like a hamster racing around a wheel? Are you very busy but never caught up? STOP for one minute. Be silent. Turn off the TV, radio, computer, etc., and turn toward your spouse. Silently thank God for your life companion. He/she is the pathway of your vocation. You will purify each other.

If you and your spouse are celebrating your 1st, 25th or 50th or more wedding anniversary 2019, you are invited to gather with family and friends to share the Eucharist, renew your sacred wedding vows, and receive Bishop O’Connell’s Episcopal Blessing. Please sign up before September 7! Click the article title for more information.

“I guess you were right.” Although Jim and I don’t see our marriage as a competition, still this phrase is one of the sweetest things he can say to me. It usually comes after a disagreement in which each of us was sure we were right. It doesn’t remedy the mistake but it’s SO much better than “I told you so!” I turn toward him with love rather than self-righteousness. Is there something your spouse was “right” about this past week?

Having a successful marriage depends not so much on FINDING the right person but BEING the right person. Is there a change I can make in my own behavior that will make our marriage happier?

Are you thinking about marriage or planning a wedding? Check out the Matrimony page, under Worship & Liturgy > The Sacraments, for basic information about the sacrament of marriage and church teaching on marriage. For information specific to planning a wedding, look under Worship & Liturgy > Weddings. There you’ll find information on what you can and can’t do in a Catholic wedding ceremony, as well as a series of pages on preparing for marriage, including information on scheduling your wedding, marriage preparation programs, the wedding liturgy and music, and suggested offerings.

The parish family of Our Lady of Sorrows-Saint Anthony congratulates and extends its prayerful best wishes for a long and happy marriage to the couples who were wed in the first half of 2019. Click the article title to see the names of the happy couples!

Is your marriage going down the right road…or is it a little off track? Life can be difficult, and so can the challenges you face in marriage. Retrouvaille can help and offers hope for a better relationship. It is Christian-based and Catholic in origin, but welcomes all married couples. Click the article title to find our when the next program will occur.

On June 1, a special liturgy was celebrated at the 5:00 p.m. Mass to honor the sacrament of marriage for couples who are celebrating anniversaries of 1 year, multiples of 5 years, or more than 50 years, during 2018. Congratulations and best wishes for continued blessings and happiness! Click the article title to see the names of these happy couples!

Have you ever wondered if your marriage is recognized by the Church? Do you wonder what is required to have your marriage recognized by the Church? Join the conversation to answer your questions about Catholic marriage, at St. Gregory the Great Parish on Wednesday, May 29 at 7:30 - 9:30, in Ferrante Hall.

On June 1, there will be a special liturgy at the 5:00 pm Mass to honor the sacrament of marriage for couples who are celebrating anniversaries of 1 year, multiples of 5 years, or more than 50 years, during 2019. Click the article title for more information.

A good argument can be a labor of love. Have something sensitive or difficult to talk about with your spouse? Try holding hands and maintaining direct eye contact when you are having a discussion about a disagreement.

“When you work with people, it is a lot like mining for gold. You do not look for the dirt. You look for the gold.” (Andrew Carnegie) What affirming nugget can you say to your spouse today? It helps if it’s specific. It’s important that it’s true.