Every year in February we celebrate the World Marriage Day (Sunday February 12) and the National Marriage Week (February 7-14). This is an opportunity to promote, celebrate and strengthen marriage. Saint Josaphat Eparchy is celebrating the gift and blessing of marriage and supports engaged and married couples.

Pope Francis’ exhortation “The Joy of Love,” about marriage and family life.

“The word of God tells us that the family is entrusted to a man, a woman and their children, so that they may become a communion of persons in the image of the union of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit” (no. 29).

“Every family should look to the icon of the Holy Family of Nazareth” (no. 30).

“No one can think that the weakening of the family as that natural society founded on marriage will prove bene­ficial to society as a whole” (no. 52).

“The sacrament [of marriage] is a gift given for the sancti­fication and salvation of the spouses” (no. 72).

“The Church is a family of families, constantly enriched by the lives of all those domestic churches” (no. 87).

“In our families, we must learn to imitate Jesus’ own gentleness in our way of speaking to one another” (no. 100).

“Love opens our eyes and enables us to see, beyond all else, the great worth of a human being” (no. 128).