Marriage Sunday is celebrated to highlight the importance of the Sacrament of Matrimony and to affirm couples who strengthen our faith community through their witness. It also honours those who nurture marriage ministries - marriage preparation, enrichment, etc. Marriage Sunday was first celebrated in the Archdiocese of Toronto in 2011. In a letter dated January 11, 2011, His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins asked that the weekend prior to the Family Day long weekend in Ontario be designated as "Marriage Sunday" in the Archdiocese of Toronto. In 2025, Marriage Sunday weekend will be celebrated on February 8/9.

Many parishes observe Marriage Sunday celebrations at the local level. The Celebration of Marriage Mass honours husband and wife as the foundation of the family, the basic unit of society, and salutes the beauty of their faithfulness, sacrifice and joy in daily married life. The Celebration of Marriage Mass usually coincides with World Marriage Day which is observed in the USA and other parts of the world. Special recognition and blessing are extended to couples celebrating 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, or 60+ wedding anniversaries at this special gathering.

During the Celebration of Marriage Mass, ALL married couples will be invited to face one another and hold hands as they renew their commitment after the homily. Near the end of the Mass, married couples celebrating 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, or 60+ wedding anniversaries in 2025 will be given a special blessing. Please note: The blessing given by the bishop is not the same as having your marriage ‘blessed’ by the Church. If you entered into a civil marriage or were otherwise married outside the Catholic Church, please see your Pastor. He will be happy to help you with the process of validation, sometimes referred to inaccurately as having your marriage ‘blessed’.

Yes, the Celebration of Marriage Mass will be available via livestream on February 9, 2025. Broadcast starts at 2:15 pm at https://www.stmichaelscathedral.com/live/

The Mass is being held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 9, 2025, at St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica, 65 Bond St, Toronto

Everyone is welcome to attend, but only couples celebrating their 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, or 60+ anniversary in 2025 and who have registered will have reserved seating. Volunteers will begin seating attendees at 1:45 p.m. Non-reserved seating will be provided on a first-come first-served basis to all others attending the Mass. To ensure we may accommodate as many married couples as possible, we ask couples to kindly limit additional guests to 4 family members and/or friends.

Only those couples celebrating their 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, or 60+anniversary in 2025 are asked to register in advance to ensure reserved seating.

Registration opens on November 22, 2024 and can be accessed online at https://bit.ly/MarriageSunday-Register2025. If you are no longer able to attend, please contact and advise formation@archtoronto.org or 416-934-3400 ext. 523. This will allow others to attend.

After registering online, you will receive an email confirmation. If you do not find the confirmation e-mail in your INBOX, please check your SPAM or JUNK mailbox. If after checking your emails you still have not received the confirmation email, please contact formation@archtoronto.org or 416-934-3400 ext. 523.

When registering, you will be asked to provide your first and last name, email address, and phone number, current parish, wedding date, special needs and/or accommodation, and how you heard about the event.

If you don’t have an email address, you may use the email address of one of your children or a friend. Please ensure that your children or friend are aware that they will receive the confirmation email.

January 31, 2025 is the last day for registration of married couples celebrating their 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, or 60+ anniversary in 2025 in order to reserve seating. Reserved seating for these couples is limited and a wait list will open once ticketing capacity is reached, so please register early.

Only couples celebrating their 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, or 60+ anniversary in 2025 and have registered will have reserved seating; any remaining non-reserved seating will be provided on a first come, first served basis. Reserved seating for these couples is limited and a wait list will open once ticketing capacity is reached, so please register early.

We ask the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and 60+ anniversary celebrants to arrive no earlier than 1:45 p.m. and aim to be seated in church by 2:20 p.m. Mass will start at 2:30 p.m. and is expected to finish at 4:00 p.m.

The Mass is open to everyone, but only couples celebrating their 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, or 60+ anniversary in 2025 and have registered will have reserved seating. To ensure we may accommodate as many married couples as possible, we ask couples to kindly limit additional guests to 4 family members and/or friends.

There is no cost to register and attend the event.

Yes, Priests are welcome to concelebrate and are asked to notify the Office of Formation for Discipleship by email at formation@archtoronto.org. Priests who are concelebrating are requested to bring their own alb and green stole. Deacons are welcome to attend; if they are celebrating their 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, or 60+ wedding anniversary in 2025, they may register for reserved seating.

Yes, the Mass is open to all. To ensure we may accommodate as many married couples as possible, we ask couples to kindly limit additional guests to 4 family members and/or friends.

Please wear your Sunday best. White or formal attire is not required.

Yes, the front door of the Cathedral is accessible via a ramp.

Yes, the church is equipped with washrooms that are also accessible to those with physical disabilities.

Unfortunately, there is no parking available at the Cathedral, except for a few (4) accessible spots in the small parking lot at St. Michael’s Choir School, just at the north side of the Cathedral main gates. Those are available on a first-come basis. There is paid parking around the Cathedral on Bond St., Church St., Shuter St. and underground parking at the Eaton Centre (entrance located on Yonge St. at Shuter St.).

Yes. To plan your trip via TTC, go to the TTC Trip Planner website and enter your departure point as your “START” address and “St. Michael's Catholic Cathedral TORONTO” as your “END” address. The nearest TTC Subway Station is Dundas Station. From there, either walk eastbound via Shuter St. (the Cathedral is located at the corner of Shuter St. and Bond St.), OR walk eastbound on Dundas Street East, then south on Bond St. to the Cathedral.

There will be no reception after the Mass.

Taking photos by the public is discouraged during the Mass to maintain a sacred atmosphere. There will be a designated official photographer. Photos by anniversary group (25th, 40th, 50th, and 60 and over) and other official event photos will be available for free download at archtoronto.org/marriage, the week following the event.

The official photographer will take group photos (by year of anniversary) with Bishop Ivan Camilleri at the end of the Mass. Couples celebrating their 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, or 60+ anniversary will be asked to remain in their pew until they are called forward for the group photos. Family and friends may take photos using their own camera at this time, but are asked to remain behind the professional photographer.

Official photographs will be made available at archtoronto.org/marriage, usually a few days following the ceremony. For a limited time, they will also be available on the Archdiocese of Toronto Facebook. There is no charge to download these photos.

The Archdiocese will not be providing commemorative certificates for this event. However, you could receive a blessing from the Holy Father when celebrating a special occasion, including milestone wedding anniversaries, by making a request to the Office of Papal Charities in Vatican City. For more information on this, please refer to the Archdiocese of Toronto website at https://www.archtoronto.org/en/our-faith/sacraments--sacramentals/papal-blessings/ and the Vatican website at https://www.elemosineria.va/papal-blessing-parchments/

If you have additional questions, please contact the Archdiocese of Toronto’s Office of Formation for Discipleship at 416-934-3400 ext. 523 or by email to formation@archtoronto.org.