Pastor’s Letter: August 16, 2026

Pastor’s Letter: August 16, 2026

14 Aug 2026 | Posted by: chadmin

Dear St. Philomena Parish Family,

Blessed week to you all! Last week on August 11 we celebrated the Feast Day of our patroness, St. Philomena. Every time I think about her story, I am so edified by her strength and faithfulness to Christ—all at the age of 11 or 12 years old! Truly she is a great model for every follower of Christ, but I especially think at her age she is a special inspiration for our young people. This coming week we start up the new school year – please pray for all of our students and their families. May the Lord bless us with much growth in the minds and hearts of all who are here. May this coming school year bring us much fruit!

Over the past couple of weeks, I have met with some couples who, realizing that they weren’t married in the Church, are now seeking those great graces for their marriage and family—what a great gift! I thought it would be a good opportunity to review a bit about our process of Convalidation for Marriages…and of course to invite anyone who would like to talk about a particular situation to reach out to me at the parish office.

To begin, what actually is Convalidation? As part of a series of articles written by Fr. Charles Fox, he explains, “Convalidation” comes from two Latin words and means that a couple is getting married “with validity.” He goes on to explain that a convalidation is the celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage for a couple that was previously not married in the Church. There may be various reasons why the marriage wasn’t celebrated in a Catholic Church, including some situations where one or more of the spouses was married previously (more on that next week). Sometimes in common conversation, you might hear some talk about “having a marriage blessed” in the Church. I have also heard the description of bringing the life spouses have been living under the blessing of God through the sacrament. Fr. Fox writes that a convalidation is truly a celebration of marriage: “A convalidation celebrated by two baptized Christians is a celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage, one of the Church’s seven sacraments, all of which are gifts given to us by Jesus Christ so that we can share in God’s life and grow closer to Him. The only difference from any other sacramental marriage is the circumstance under which this marriage is being celebrated, i.e. after a civil marriage ceremony has already taken place.”

For many couples, the process of preparing for a convalidation could be described as an adapted version of typical marriage preparation. I will often discuss with a couple some options for preparation and then work together to choose the best fitting path for their unique life together. In the midst of the preparation, we gather together sacramental and civil documents as part of the regular Church paperwork. We also have the spouses review and agree to the goods of marriage, as well as having witnesses speak on their behalf for the life in Christ they are looking to strengthen together.

Continuing with Fr. Fox, he explains well in answering the question, “What will the ceremony be like?” He says, “As with the marriage preparation, some of the ceremonial details will depend upon the individual couple. But a convalidation is a true celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage, and so it follows the Catholic Church’s Rite of Marriage Outside of Mass. This includes a Liturgy of the Word (Scripture readings and homily), Prayers of the Faithful, the Rite of Marriage, Our Father, Nuptial Blessing, and Final Blessing and dismissal…Convalidations are typically much simpler than other weddings in terms of the other ceremonial details (number of people in attendance, clothes, music, etc.), but there must be at least two witnesses in addition to the priest or deacon.” In my own experience, I really enjoy the simplicity of many convalidations – it truly is the couple saying their vows in front of the altar and receiving the blessing of Christ and the Church. A very simple but powerful reception of the Lord’s grace for the husband and wife!

For many couples I have worked with, they experience a special peace of heart through the convalidation of their marriage, knowing that the life they are living is in line with what God and the Church ask of us…and there is a special joy in knowing the Lord is blessing them in a unique way as they say their vows at the altar. As a priest, it brings me great joy to journey with couples to the altar! I consider it one of the great graces of serving God’s people in my vocation. If in reading these columns on marriage, anyone has questions about their particular situation or has a desire to meet up and talk these things through, please reach out to me by email or through the parish office. Know of my prayers today for all marriages and families—sending everyone my blessing this day!

In Christ,
Father Luke