A Craft to Support a Lesson on Matrimony
SARA JONCKHEERE
The significance and meaning of the sacrament of Matrimony is not always easily understood by children. If can often be seen abstractly since they have not yet experienced it firsthand. This craft offers a visual representation of marriage and teaches students that marriage consists not only of a husband and a wife, but that Christ is a vital part of that relationship also. 
Assembly
Slide the pink and blue beads onto the black pipe cleaner. Fold the pipe cleaner into a triangle by roughly dividing the pipe cleaner into three equal parts and folding at the corners. Twist the two pieces together at the top to close the triangle. Make sure the pink bead is on the bottom of one corner of the triangle and the blue bead is on the other. The blue bead represents the husband and the pink bead represents the wife. The black pipe cleaner represents their marriage.
At the top of the triangle, use the gold pipe cleaner to make a cross. Cut a pipe cleaner in half. Fold that piece in half and loop it through the top of the triangle. Then twist the two pieces together to make it look like one piece. Next, take the remaining piece of pipe cleaner and cut it in half again so you have a quarter of the pipe cleaner. Wrap that once
around the vertical piece in the middle. Pipe cleaners are pretty forgiving, so just bend and pinch to make the necessary shapes. The gold cross represents Christ, the center of the marriage. 
Discussion
This visual representation of marriage is symbolic in many ways. Ask students what they notice about this representation. Some students might connect the three sides or the three people (husband, wife, Christ) to the three persons of the Holy Trinity. Others might notice that the cross is always at the center between the husband and wife. This is a reminder that our marriages should be centered on Christ. While all of these observations are correct and this model can represent several aspects of marriage, try this next activity to teach students the importance of Christ in a marriage.
Have students slowly slide the “husband” bead and the “wife” bead up on the triangle. Ask what they notice. If they do not come to the conclusion on their own, point out that as the husband and the wife draw closer to Christ, they are also getting closer to one another. Explain the importance of putting God first in your life and the gifts that will come from that in marriage. Give students a chance to share examples of this principle that they have personally witnessed — maybe from observing how their parents or grandparents make Christ the center of their marriage and work on becoming closer to Christ — and in return, closer to their spouse.
Prayer–Dear loving Father, we ask you to bless married couples and help them to draw closer to you so that they may be closer to one another. Help them to put you first every day. Amen.
SARA JONCKHEERE, MA, is an elementary school teacher turned work-at-home mom. Creating digital curriculum and resources, she shares teaching ideas at SaraJCreations.com.
PHOTOS: SARA JONCKHEERE
This article was originally published in Catechist magazine, March 2018.
