“Matrimony” means “motherhood”: it is a beautiful - and arduous - pathway to Heaven. The grace of Jesus Christ is necessary for husband and wife, and thus a Catholic must marry in the Catholic Church in order to: (1) receive the grace of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony; (2) have a valid and permanent marriage before God.

Real love is a daily decision. Self-sacrifice is hard. But any love worthwhile requires real dying to self and living for others. The sexually-pure, chaste preparation of a couple builds their future marriage upon the solid foundation of friendship. “Living together”, on the contrary - with its fornication and contraception - merely uses a person, and drags the engagement into a sewer; it undermines a friendship and it is the opposite of real love. “Love does not insist on its on way.” (1 Cor. 13:4-7)

If you wish to marry at Historic Saint Patrick or Holy Trinity, you must be (or have been as a youth) a registered parishioner. Our consecrated churches are not drive-thru wedding venues for rent. A description of the preparation requisite for a Catholic wedding in the Diocese of Peoria is here. Contact the pastor, Fr. Loftus, at least nine months prior to the planned wedding date.