For Catholics, marriage is a sacrament. A loving, faithful, permanent union of husband and wife mirrors Christ’s sacrificial love for us; through marriage we also experience his Grace.

The Catholic tradition has always understood marriage as a natural relation as well. People of all faiths can get married and their marriages matter to God, children, each other, and the community. Marriage helps create and care for the next generation, helping to satisfy men and women’s deep human longings for connection with each other, and children’s longing to know and be known by their own mother and father. Marriage works by fostering commitment, trust, fidelity and cooperation between the sexes.

A large body of social science research now affirms the importance of marriage for the common good.