Marriage Preparation

Congratulations!

The prayers of the Church are with you as you prepare to commit to a lifetime of loving each other. 

The process begins eight to twelve months before the wedding when the engaged couple calls the parish to make an appointment with the priest to discuss being married.

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Below you will find information on the marriage preparation process, as well as the Diocesan marriage preparation program.

Preparing for Your Wedding

1. Initial Meeting with Priest

The initial meeting with the parish priest is a time to talk and discover what is expected. This may also be when you reserve your wedding date and fill out the FOCCUS personal inventory. During this meeting you may also discuss what marriage preparation program is best for you and your fiancé.



2. Complete the FOCCUS

FOCCUS is a personality profile that is completed BEFORE attending a Marriage Preparation session. It is not a test, but a discovery questionnaire which will personalize your marriage preparation and give you insights into yourself and your partner. Please schedule your FOCCUS profile through your parish priest.



3. Register for Marriage Preparation

If using the Diocesan marriage preparation program, you must register immediately after reserving your wedding date at your parish. Your space must be reserved at least eight months before the wedding. To access the registration form, click here, wait for the form to appear, type in your information. Once registration is complete you can make your payment via PayPal or mail a check payable to the Office of Faith Formation with a copy of your registration. The fee is $150 per couple.



4. FOCCUS Evaluation

The FOCCUS evaluation will be done in a second meeting at the parish, approximately a month after completing the questionnaire. The information which you receive will help you to make constructive use of both your strengths and weaknesses and prepare you for more meaningful participation in the Marriage Preparation program.



5. Complete Marriage Preparation

Marriage preparation is intended to give you a fuller understanding of the sacrament of matrimony as well as some practical tools for building a lifetime together. There are multiple programs from which you may choose, and your parish may offer it's own marriage preparation program. Diocesan Marriage Preparation - online program Diocesan Marriage Preparation in Portuguese Catholic Engaged Encounter (CEE) Weekend- a retreat weekend Preparation for Remarriage - If either party has been previously married and either has a child, this program is specified for you.



6. Planning the Wedding Liturgy

Since, the couple are actually the ordinary ministers of the Sacrament of Matrimony, you will want to take time to carefully read the booklet "Together For Life" which you will receive from your parish. This will help you plan a meaningful liturgy. You can also find helpful information at For Your Marriage and Catholic Wedding Help.



7. Third Parish Visit

The third parish visit is an opportunity to discuss your reactions to the marriage preparation session and to make specific plans with the priest/deacon for your wedding liturgy.



8. Wedding Rehearsal & Liturgy

The wedding rehearsal is the final step before approaching the altar to bestow on each other the Sacrament of Matrimony.

May God bless you at your Wedding Liturgy with a happy and holy lifetime together!



Diocesan Marriage Preparation

Due to COVID19 we have had to cancel all our live programs until further notice. 

With current restrictions, we are now offering an online program Living Our Faith In Love for couples.  This program covers all the key aspects of our live programs, with an added benefit of guidance from one of our many trained mentor couples.

Couples who are preparing for marriage will have ample time to complete the online program.  Registered couples will receive a voucher that will give them access to the program and will be assigned a mentor couple who will guide them, answer questions, and offer up their own experiences of married life.

Along with the regular on-line program, we also offer a program for those couples in which one or both have been married before - through our ReMarriage Program.

Our goal is to assist you as you prepare for the sacrament of marriage and your future as a married couple

Living Our Faith In Love is offered by The Marriage Group.

 

For more information about the program and what is offered, Clergy or anyone assisting the couple can visit their site.

Resources

USCCB
Marriage Prep
For Your
Marriage