Marriage is the sacramental rite of the church in which two persons "enter into a life-long union, make their vows before God and the Church, and receive the grace and blessing of God to help them fulfill their vows" (BCP, p. 861).  At the Declaration of Consent, both persons promise to love, comfort, honor, and keep their spouse, in sickness and in health, and, forsaking all others, to be faithful to their spouse as long as they both live (BCP, p. 424).

The congregation witnesses the couple's promises, and the members of the congregation promise to do all in their power to uphold the couple in their marriage. At the Marriage, the couple may pledge their lives to each other by the giving and receiving of rings as symbols of their vows. When desired, other appropriate symbols of their vows may be used instead of rings. In the Episcopal Church it is required that at least one of the parties be a baptized Christian, that the ceremony be attested by at least two witnesses, and that the marriage conform to the laws of the state and the canons of the church.

What if one or both of us have been divorced? In the Episcopal Church, being previously married does not exclude you from the possibility of being married again.  

What if we are a same-sex couple?  In the Episcopal Church you are free to marry.  You will be treated as any other couple seeking God's blessing on their lifelong commitment.  We are proud to support equal marriage.

What will our service be like? The Episcopal Church is blessed with a beautiful marriage service in our Book of Common Prayer.  The clergy will assist you in crafting a service that is meaningful to you; contact the parish office to discuss your marriage with the Rector.

The Episcopal Church has a beautiful burial liturgy, available to everyone. It doesn’t matter who they are, whether they were churchgoers or not. It doesn’t matter how they died. It doesn’t matter how much money they had. All are given dignity. All are escorted out of this world with beauty and dignity and grace.

The service itself is a celebration of the life of the one who died while still leaving space for grief and sorrow. We believe that all people are a gift from our Creator, and all people are received into the arms of our loving God when they die. That is why the church is decorated in the traditional Easter white, and the priest wears white. The Paschal candle lit at baptism is also lit at funerals, tying together the cycle of life and death and life again.

The clergy at St. Michael's will gently work with you to honor the life of the one you loved in the most appropriate way. Perhaps that means a funeral or memorial service at the church, at another location, or something simple at the graveside or where cremains are distributed. Please contact the clergy with any questions you may have or if you would like to arrange for a funeral.