What is the Sacrament of Matrimony (Marriage)?

Matrimony is the sacrament in which a baptized man and a baptized woman establish a lifelong covenant of love and fidelity before God, ordered toward the good of the spouses and the procreation and education of children. The spouses themselves are the ministers of the sacrament — they confer it upon each other by exchanging vows in the presence of a priest or deacon and two witnesses. Catholic marriage has four essential properties: it must be free (entered without coercion), total (giving everything to one another), faithful (exclusive and permanent), and fruitful (open to children). A valid sacramental marriage between two baptized persons cannot be dissolved by any human power, including the Church. The Church does grant annulments, which are declarations that a valid marriage never existed due to some defect of consent, form, or capacity at the time of the wedding.