MARRIAGE PREPARATION PROCESS
Congratulations on your decision to marry! 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.
| 1. | 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. |
| 2. | 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 IMMEDIATELY
after receiving the registration booklet for a
Marriage Preparation program.
Your space must be reserved at least eight
months before the wedding. The registration form and mailing envelope are in the center of the booklet. If you need a copy of the registration form, click here, wait for the form to appear then print it. Before mailing please enclose your check. The amount is $150 for the Diocesan Marriage or Remarriage Preparation programs or $100 for the Engaged Encounter weekend (with the balance of $190 due when you attend.) Note that the Engaged Encounter program includes two nights lodging, three meals on Saturday and two meals on Sunday. |
| 4. | 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. | A MARRIAGE PREPARATION PROGRAM is the next step. This 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 listed in the booklet and on this website (click on the Schedule of Programs button) from which you may choose: The Engaged Encounter Weekend Diocesan Marriage Preparation - one or two-day sessions Diocesan Marriage Preparation in Portugese Preparation for Remarriage - If either party has been previously married and has a child this program is specified. |
| 6. | PLANNING THE WEDDING LITURGY. Because the couple are the 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. |
| 7. | A 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 is the final step before approaching the altar to bestow on each other the Sacrament of Matrimony. |
| 9. | WEDDING - May God bless you with a happy and holy lifetime together! |
