Clergy

Catholic Marriage Preparation

Clergy play a pivotal role in preparing engaged couples to bestow the gift of themselves to their beloved. Through Witness to Love's revolutionary approach to marriage formation, comprehensive training, and ongoing support, you'll be empowered to foster evangelizing spouses who radiate Christ's love in the world.

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Divorce Rate for Catholic Couples 5-Year Mark

Divorce Rate for General Population 5-Year Mark

5.8

Divorce Rate for Witness to Love Couples 5-Year Mark

Increase in church attendance among Witness to Love newlyweds.

Welcome

Your first meeting with a couple wishing to get married at your parish may be the couple’s first step in coming back home to the Church. Inviting them to pray and discern mentors to accompany them on their journey demonstrates trust in both them and the Holy Spirit. This allows couples to take ownership of this sacred time of preparation.

Empower

In using mentors, you are inviting married couples to step into their mission of being the image of Christ’s love in the world. You are encouraging both couples to be active participants in their formation, equipping them to be evangelizing spouses in their communities.

Evangelize

Throughout the formation process, you are provided many opportunities for evangelization including an evening with both couples at the mentor’s home for a Theology Discussion Night. And because couples that go through Witness to Love often continue to attend Mass after the wedding, you will have even more opportunities to share the Good News with them!

Reawaken

The planning and celebration of the wedding liturgy with engaged couples is an opportunity to remind them of the common priesthood received at baptism. With your guidance, they can be assured that they have an important place in the life of the Church!

How It Works

The Couples Roadmap represents a structured approach to guiding engaged couples through intentional preparation for their future marriage and family life. It emphasizes the importance of investing at least 6 months (4 months for civilly married couples) in this process to ensure a solid foundation. If couples are getting married within the next 5 months, and you sense they're invested in their formation, you may propose that they continue the Witness to Love process after the wedding.

Scroll through the marriage preparation process below, including directions and suggestions.

Phase I

Initial Preparation

📍 Meet with parish priest or deacon

📍 Choose a mentor couple

📍 Complete the premarital inventory

📍 Attend coaching session with parish marriage coordinator

Phase II

Marriage Formation

📍 Register for a natural Family Planning course

📍 Monthly meetings with mentor couple

📍 Complete parish Scavenger Hunt activities

📍 Attend parish, diocesan or Witness to Love Be More Retreat

📍 Theology Discussion Night with mentors and clergy

Phase III

Nuptial Mass Planning

⛪ Wedding Liturgy Planning with your priest or deacon

💍 Wedding Day

Phase IV

Post-Wedding Day

📍 Join parish Be Light small group marriage communities

📍 Continued accompaniment from mentors

📍 Thriving generations of marriages and families

Phase V

Civilization of Love

👩‍❤️‍👨 Mentor younger couples

🎁 Find other ways to use your gifts to serve your parish community

💻 Get ongoing support from Witness to Love through our online resources

The Witness to Love difference

The vital importance of Witness to Love couples being able to choose their own mentor couple lies in fostering a sense of comfort, trust, and relatability within the mentorship dynamic. By allowing couples to select mentors who resonate with their values, experiences, and personalities, the mentorship process becomes more authentic, effective, and supportive.

This personalized approach empowers couples to form deeper connections, openly address challenges, and receive guidance tailored to their unique circumstances, ultimately enhancing the success and impact of the mentorship journey.

Step 1

Order a FREE Parish Review pack to preview our materials.

Step 2

Delegate a Marriage Formation Coordinator! You can be the Marriage Formation Coordinator, but most often, priests delegate the role to a deacon or married couple.

Step 3

Complete the online Certification Training.

Step 4

Not ready to bring Witness to Love to your parish? You can still have your couples experience Witness to Love through our Hybrid Experience, providing flexibility without compromising the value of mentorship and virtue formation.

With online coaching, we take care of everything for you!

Step 5

I definitely think I will be more active in the parish because of Witness to Love. While my fiance has been a part of the Catholic Church her whole life, it was very new to me to dive in and have deep conversations about the faith. The program got me really interested in continuing to learn about the Catholic Church.

John and Bailey

Diocese of Lansing, MI

More than 11 years ago we went through our marriage prep class and we both found Witness to Love to be so much more valuable. It was amazing to be able to revisit these topics with a young engaged couple. Through the discussions, we reaffirmed the "through good times and bad" mentality for any challenges, and we also have made changes to be open to life after being closed off for three years.

Jason and Elizabeth

Mentor Couple, Diocese of Cheyenne, WY

We hope that online programs such as Witness to Love and Be More Retreat become more readily available and talked about within our parish communities. This program was super beneficial, and would work extremely well with young couples seeking marriage that face the challenges of military schedules or long distance, etc.

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