On November 6, 2012, the people of the State of Minnesota will vote on an amendment to include the existing legal definition of marriage as a formal part of the State Constitution.

The diocese will take a broad focus on marriage as the context for our discussion on the marriage amendment. Just as we have taken the opportunity with the release of the new Roman Missal to reflect on the liturgy as a whole, we can embrace this occasion to strengthen our commitment to what marriage is and what it means for society.

In recent decades, the Church has given renewed focus to the importance of marriage in light of many challenges to healthy marriages and families. The current situation is both a product of those challenges and an opportunity to strengthen marriage. We wish to take this occasion, while much public attention and debate will focus on marriage, to witness to our conviction that marriage is a vital part of the social fabric, not only for spouses in the present, but for their children and for the future.

Our responsibility for marriage is not limited to sound preparation of couples for marriage. In addition:

Pastors of souls are obliged to take care that their ecclesiastical community offers the Christian faithful the assistance by which the matrimonial state is preserved in a Christian spirit and advances in perfection ... especially by ... help offered to those who are married, so that faithfully  preserving and protecting the conjugal covenant, they daily come to lead holier and fuller lives in their family. canon 1063

As part of this initiative, each parish or cluster is to develop and implement a strategy for strengthening marriage in 2012. The materials here were developed to include many resources to assist parishes to become a Marriage-Building Church.

Strengthening Marriage materials

Marriage Amendment materials