We are thrilled for you and your upcoming marriage! The Joy-Filled Marriage Program is a thorough, enjoyable, and comprehensive program which will discuss practical “life skills” and the sacramentality of marriage.
The purpose of Marriage Preparation is to introduce you to the theology behind the sacrament and give you practical advice using sound psychology that will equip you for your life journey together.
Below is an overview of the topics that will be presented during your Marriage Preparation:
First, couples learn sound principles and a fresh, virtue-based approach to life skills through the narrative of a live presentation.
Through a variety of focused activities, couples discuss their relationships, learn about themselves, and begin applying what they have learned.
The final stage helps couples to recognize topics they may need to discuss at a later date, to identify shared goals, and to set concrete plans to build a joy-filled marriage. All of this is captured in one planning document, The Marriage Action Plan (MAP).
If my fiancé and I had learned these teachings of the Church on sexuality sooner, we would never have become sexually active.
This class has renewed my faith in the Catholic Church.
We are seeing hearts being changed because of the God’s Plan program.
Essential seeds are planted in a loving and invitational manner that will bear transforming fruit in years to come for families, for the Church and for the world.
“Dear friends, it is certainly necessary to give bread to the hungry – this is an act of justice. But there is also a deeper hunger, the hunger for a happiness that only God can satisfy, the hunger for dignity. There is neither real promotion of the common good nor real human development when there is ignorance of the fundamental pillars that govern a nation, its non-material goods: life, which is a gift of God, a value always to be protected and promoted; the family, the foundation of coexistence and a remedy against social fragmentation; integral education, which cannot be reduced to the mere transmission of information for the purposes of generating profit; health, which must seek the integral well-being of the person, including the spiritual dimension, essential for human balance and healthy coexistence; security, in the conviction that violence can be overcome only by changing human hearts.”
Congratulations on your engagement!
The Church rejoices with you as you approach the sacrament of marriage and wishes to support you in living your married life to the fullest.
At times, today’s culture can work against your commitment to a healthy, lifelong Christian marriage. But the Church offers you the building blocks with which to build a solid foundation for your marriage. The cornerstones of that solid foundation begin now, in your engagement period.
Among the key elements of effective and successful marriage preparation are self- knowledge—an assessment of your strengths and weaknesses, both as individuals and as a couple—and good formation—a strong educational program on the sacrament of matrimony.
I believe our archdiocesan marriage preparation program will provide you with the spiritual resources and practical tools you need for
a strong and healthy marriage—not only as newlyweds, but for a lifetime.
Yours in Christ,
