Demand remains strong for Catholic marriage says bishop

Demand remains strong for sacramental marriage and Catholic marriage preparation courses according to new data from Accord, the Catholic Marriage Care agency in Ireland.

According to Accord’s latest figures the numbers undertaking sacramental marriage preparation courses are back to pre-Covid levels, said director Tony Shanahan.

In 2019, Accord provided 285 marriage preparation programmes to 4,610 couples. In 2022 it hosted 4,610 couples on 297 programmes.

Speaking ahead of St Valentine’s Day at the shrine of the patron saint of romantic love in the Carmelite Church on Whitefriar Street, Dublin, Mr Shanahan said: “When we consider that, for 2021, the Central Statistics Office reported that religious ceremonies accounted for 57 per cent of all marriages in the state and that the 6,721 Catholic marriages that year amounted to 39 per cent of the total figure, then Accord’s data of today paints a positive picture in terms of the numbers who are planning a Church marriage in the future.”

The data was published to coincide with the blessing of two engaged couples by the President of Accord, the Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, Denis Nulty.

In his address, Bishop Nulty called on parish communities to find ways of welcoming newly married couples such as designating a “Sunday of Welcome” for them.

Speaking to The Tablet, Bishop Nulty said he was putting the idea forward because married couples are “the heart of our parishes” but often people didn’t know who the newly married couples in their parish were. “We need to walk with young couples in their early years,” he said.

Accord’s data shows that the majority of couples choosing a Catholic marriage have been in a relationship for over six years and are aged between 31 and 40. A quarter of the couples were already parents with children.

“Accord welcomes everyone and journeys with them, whether they already have children or don’t have children – whatever their circumstances, they are most welcome. Our preparation programme is a programme for life not just for a day,” said Bishop Nulty.