Fit For Mission? Marriage Preparation, Course Presenter's Book

Marriage preparation courses must be a 'journey of re-discovery', that distinguishes between what 'everyone else is doing, and what our own being intimately tells us.' - Pope Benedict XVI

'The revelation of God about marriage does not contradict the nature of human beings created by Him but further explains it. When this marriage preparation course works at its best it will help young couples re-discover truths about love that they already sense and know deep down.' - Bishop Patrick O'Donoghue

This new marriage preparation course has been developed to help those preparing couples for marriage by giving them the sure foundation of the Church's wisdom on marriage and family life.

The course engages with the pastoral reality of today's society by offering those leading the course two options according to the situation of the couple:

Marriage - Preparation Course is designed to meet the specific needs of those couples with an inactive faith and so assumes little or no knowledge of the Faith. These couples' motives for wanting a 'Church wedding' are varied and complex. In these cases, the fundamental approach of the marriage preparation course is one of evangelisation.

Marriage - Preparation Plus Course is for those couples who are either both practising Catholics, or where one partner is a practising member of another Christian church or ecclesial community, and they have an active faith and spirituality. The Course therefore assumes knowledge of the Faith, and a living relationship with Christ. In these cases, the fundamental approach of the marriage preparation course is one of catechesis.

The Course Presenter's Book provides full guidance to using the two Couples' Books.

The course is flexible and adaptable and may be delivered as suggested or according to a timetable more suited to local needs. Sessions contain some formal input time and some discussion time and activities. Each course contains the following six sessions, and will involve some homework for the couples.

Session 1: Two become one
Session 2: Love is...?
Session 3: Respect the differences
Session 4; God's body talk
Session 5: Jesus's helping hand
Session 6: Loving each other in Christ