Matrimony, or Marriage, is a sacrament that consecrates for a particular mission in building up the Church, and that provides grace for accomplishing that mission. This sacrament, seen as a sign of the love uniting Christ and the Church, establishes between two people a permanent and exclusive bond, sealed by God.

Information about the Blessing of Same-Sex Relationships may be found here.

The Book of Common Prayer is the form used for the solemnization of a marriage at St. John’s Church. You can find suggested readings and hymns in our Planning Guide. For more information, contact the Parish Office at 908.722.1250.

Marriage is a holy sacrament. Those baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus are married in his name also. Their love is a sharing in the love of God. He is its source. The marriages of Christian couples, today renewed and blessed, are images on earth of the wonder of God, the loving, life-giving communion of Three Persons in one God, and of God’s covenant in Christ, with the Church. Christian marriage is a sacrament of salvation. It is the pathway to holiness for all members of a family.

The bond of marriage is compared to God’s undying love for Israel in the Old Testament, and Christ’s love for his Church in the New Testament. Jesus stresses the importance of the marriage bond in his Ministry (Matthew 19:6, 8). The importance of marriage is substantiated by the presence of Christ at the wedding feast of Cana, where he began his public ministry, by performing his first miracle (John 2). It is the Apostle Paul who identifies the marriage of human beings with the unity of Christ and his Church.