In the wake of Amoris Laetitia much discussion has turned to discussion of family life. With that in mind, today’s Throwback Thursday is a prayer/pledge specifically for those called to the vocation of marriage and family life.

The “Christian Marriage Pledge” appeared in a 1967 supplement to The Catholic Telegraph-Register called “The Catholic Wedding.”

The supplement included no instruction for when this pledge/prayer might best be used, but based on the wording it could be a prayer during adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

The Throwback Thursday team tried to search the web for more on the history on the pledge without much success. The Feb. 3, 1964 edition of The Milwaukee Sentinel (page 3) includes the same pledge, noting it was said during a Catholic liturgy with 7,500 in attendance during an annual “family holy hour” in that area.

The pledge reads:

In gratitude to Almighty God for all the blessings that family life has brought me, I pledge myself always to uphold the great dignity of Christian marriage.

Therefore, in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, I profess my belief in the sanctity of marriage. I acknowledge it as a sacrament and a symbol of the union of Christ and His Church.

I believe:

“What God has put together let no man put asunder.”

I renew my deep reverend for fatherhood and motherhood.

I believe that in family life, parents cooperate with God.

I believe that in family life, the child is paramount.

I abhor and condemn every sinful interference with the role of parenthood.

With the help of our Immaculate Mother, I pledge myself anew to wholesome family life.

I resolve to do all in my power to foster the virtue of purity, the bulwark of the family.”

Regardless of its origins, a pledge to “uphold the great dignity of Christian marriage” is always a welcome prayer.

The photos below, including that of the pledge, all appear in 1967 Catholic wedding supplement.

Welcome to The Catholic Telegraph’s edition of Throwback Thursday. Throwback Thursday is a weekly online feature wherein users of social media share an old photo or anecdote about times gone by. We use Throwback Thursday to highlight the history of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and our publication.

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