World Marriage Day
World Marriage Day is an offshoot of Worldwide Marriage Encounter, an apostolate with the mission to help couples enjoy blissful and happy marriages. At its core, the day celebrates the husband and wife as the foundation of the family and sees the family as the basic unit of society. Further, World Marriage Day honors the beauty of nuptial faithfulness, devotion, sacrifice, commitment, and joy.
For us in the Catholic Church, married life is more than the union of two individuals. Rather, it is the foundation of humanity and the cradle of civilization. The day urges the community to carry out their married lives with joy and faith and make family life the biggest priority of their lives.
Through World Marriage Day, a special light is shed on the deterioration of family values in modern society. The day calls for parishes to accompany the married couples every step of the way and persuade them to join the sacrosanct life of the Church. It is also the celebration of emerging diversity in the institution of marriage and the incorporation of various heritages and ethnicities that add to the grandeur of God’s creations.
World Marriage Day traces its origin to 1981 when married couples in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, asked the mayor of the city, the governor of the State, and the Bishop of the church to proclaim February 14 (St. Valentine’s Day) as We Believe in Marriage Day. Following the success of the event, the idea of celebrating the day was subsequently presented to and adopted by the National Leadership of Worldwide Marriage Encounter.
The following year – in 1982 – 43 governors in the U.S. approved and officially announced the day as We Believe in Marriage Day. Eventually, some U.S. military bases in many foreign countries joined in the celebrations. In 1983, the day witnessed two major changes: its name was changed to World Marriage Day, and it was designated to be celebrated on the second Sunday in February annually. A decade later – in 1993 – Saint Pope John Paul II approved and imparted his Apostolic Blessings on World Marriage Day. In the Catholic church, World Marriage Week still takes place each year from February 7 – February 14.
To date, World Marriage Day is celebrated every second Sunday of February in many countries around the world, especially in the Catholic church. Sometimes, like its maiden edition, the day still falls on February 14, coinciding with Valentine’s Day.
Prayer for World Marriage Day:
Father, as we prepare for World Marriage Day, we thank you for your tremendous gift of the Sacrament of Marriage. Help us to witness to its glory by a life of growing intimacy. Teach us the beauty of forgiveness so we may become more and more One in Heart, Mind, and Body. Strengthen our dialogue and help us become living signs of your love. Make us grow more in love with the Church so we may renew the Body of Christ. Make us a sign of unity in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Brother. Amen.