Abstract
What is the significance of a religious marriage for young people in a society in which religious practice is declining, and in which people know and accept fewer and fewer of the doctrines and ethics of the Catholic Church? When one listens to young people expressing their thoughts on this subject, two elements come to the fore. First of all, religious marriage is valued as a rite of passage independently of what it might mean to the Church itself. As such, it fully exemplifies the meaning of a “liminal moment” as conceptualized by Van Gennep and Turner. On the other hand, a religious marriage is also regarded as an affirmation of the importance of the family and the perpetuation of its traditions.