Marriage Prep 101

“Once upon a time”....“they lived happily ever after.” Two common phrases in romantic fairytales. Our Lady of Good Counsel marriage preparation desires to make that fairytale a reality...but...we don’t just want you to live happily ever after, we want to help you get to Heaven!

Many couples in today’s world choose a one-day marriage prep workshop, a wedding ceremony on a beach, in a barn, or a backyard, but we are continuously inspired by the couples that come to OLGC and desire more for their relationship.

They are willing to do the work and make sacrifices now, which will only benefit their future.

Over the years, we have developed
an intentional, and rather rigorous,
marriage preparation program. A
lifelong, Sacramental marriage is our
primary goal for each and every couple
we work with. We aim to equip every couple
with the tools they need to approach their marriage as a covenant not a contract—with the goal of helping the other find their eternal reward in Heaven.

Whether you are engaged or married for 50 years, the information we teach our engaged couples can aid in the health, intimacy, and strength of all marriages. And so, this article kicks off a new series in which we will share each of the components in our engaged couples “Marriage Preparation” process. Here is the quick overview of the process as a whole:

A MEETING: The first step in Marriage Prep is to meet with a priest and the marriage prep coordinator, Jennifer Adam, to determine a couples freedom to

marry in the Catholic Church. A wedding date cannot be given before this meeting takes place.

INVENTORY: After freedom to marry is determined, the couple will receive a link to the “Prepare Enrich Inventory.” This measures the couple’s strengths and offers suggestions for areas of opportunity for growth. We meet with the couple to go over the results and give tools and suggestions to help them.

ALPHA: Alpha for the Engaged is an optional but highly recommended component of marriage preparation. Couples are given up to two years after

their wedding to join Alpha.

NFP & TOB WORKSHOP: Couples will attend our Natural Family Planning/

Theology of the Body workshop. This is

a full-day workshop where we focus on NFP and TOB teachings along with the

importance of friendship and couple prayer.

FINANCIAL HARMONY: A “Financial Harmony” meeting is scheduled with the couple to help them recognize their relationship with money and how it will impact their marriage.

MENTOR COUPLE: Each couple chooses or will be assigned a mentor couple. The mentor couple journeys with the engaged couple tackling real life marriage topics. The mentor couple shares wisdom, guidance, and love with the engaged couple and offers a safe space to ask for support.

Please join us in praying for all of our engaged couples and stay tuned for next week’s edition of “Marriage Prep 101.”