What is mission-focused marriage preparation?

What steps should our parish/pastorate take to have mission-focused marriage preparation?

Marriage Preparation Programs

Step 1: Choose a Marriage Preparation Program

Sponsor Couple Program

Witness to Love

A novel mentor couple program that focuses on building virtues for relationships and is rooted in attachment theory.

Step 2: Choose a Marriage Preparation Inventory

The Archdiocese of Baltimore requires that all couples preparing for marriage complete a marriage preparation inventory.  This inventory is used by a priest, deacon, or qualified lay person to discuss marital skills and relationship dynamics.

Each parish/pastorate should have at least one trained facilitator.  These trainings can be done online or in-person and gives the parish access to discounted costs on inventories and immediate access to couple’s results.

All Inventories are available in English and Spanish.

FACET

Foundations Applied Conversation & Education Tool (FACET) is a paper-based inventory that provides objective insight into a couples relationship and includes a narrative section that allows couples to respond to open-ended questions.  FACET is also very effective for Spanish-language communities because it is paper-based.  If the parish has a local trained facilitator, this instrument costs $15 per couple.

FOCCUS

Facilitating Open Couple Communication Understanding & Study (FOCCUS) is the most widely used Catholic preparation inventory that was developed by the Archdiocese of Omaha.  FOCCUS is web-based, which provides for immediate results.  If the parish has a local trained facilitator, this instrument costs $20 per couple.

PREPARE-ENRICH

Prepare-Enrich is the most widely used of these inventories but not Catholic in its origins.  However, there is a Catholic version of the inventory.  It is the most robust and dynamic inventory, including applications for marriage enrichment, second marriages, convalidations, more mature couples, and numerous other specific circumstances.  If the parish has a local trained facilitator, this instrument costs $26 per couple.

Step 3: Assemble the Parish Marriage Packet

The Office of Marriage and Family Life will no longer provide marriage packets for pre-Cana or sponsor couple programs.  Parishes/pastorates can choose from the materials below and use their own materials to determine what items should be provided for their couples preparing for marriage.  The Office of Marriage and Family Life has curated classic and contemporary materials but if you are aware of other materials that should be included please contact us.

Communication

Perspectives on Marriage (English and Spanish)

Prepare-Enrich Workbook

The Five Love Languages

Domestic Violence

English and Spanish

Healthy Relationship

Her and Him

Need Help Fliers

Her and Him

Step 4: Learn About Local NFP Resources

Many individual parishes/pastorates are unable to sustain a Natural Family Planing instructor but there are numerous instructors in each region in the Archdiocese.  There are also resources on the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s NFP webpage (like these videos) to help engaged couples learn more about NFP and which method they want to learn more about during their engagement.

Ovulation Method

Does the Archdiocese Approve of Online Preparation?

The Archdiocese encourages parishes/pastorates to prepare couples locally through sponsor couple programs or pre-Cana seminars.  However, often circumstances arise that make these methods unfeasible, including, military couples, long-distance relationship, challenging schedules, etc.

Engaged couples should always consult with their wedding officiant prior to registering for online preparation.

The programs that the Archdiocese of Baltimore recommends are:

Agape Catholic Marriage Preparation

Fee: $194 – $245 – Language: English, Spanish, French

Joy-Filled Marriage – Ascension Press

Fee: $47.95 – Language: English and Spanish

Living Our Faith in Love

Fee: $195 – Languages: English, Captioning in English and Spanish

Smart Loving

Fee: $68 – $273 – Languages: English

Unveiled

Fee: $190 – Languages: English

Still having trouble choosing which process makes sense for your parish/pastorate?