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What Does the Typical Witness to Love Process Look Like?

Basic guidelines for choosing a mentor couple:

  1. Married 5 years or more
  2. Active in the Church
  3. Have a marriage the engaged couple admires
  4. Preferably go to the same church as the engaged couple

Questionnaire Reviewed by Marriage Prep Coordinator (or in some cases the priest or deacon):

  1. Reviews the results of the pre-marital questionnaire (Prepare-Enrich or FOCCUS)
  2. Decides which issues and exercises the engaged couple will need to complete
  3. Designs “Scavenger Hunt” of activities to be completed by both the engaged and mentor couples
  4. Helps to secure the cooperation of the mentor couple that has been chosen
  5. Establishes a meeting with both the engaged and mentor couples

Meeting with Marriage Prep Coordinator, engaged and mentor couples.

  1. Marriage Prep Coordinator invites the engaged couple into their home to briefly review the results of the pre-marital questionnaire
  2. Mentor couple arrives a little later and receives the materials and instructions from the MPC for the follow-up sessions and Scavenger Hunt

On-going sessions between engaged and mentor couples

  1. Two couples decide on a schedule of meetings and the activities outlined in the Scavenger Hunt
  2. Meetings follow the outline for the sessions presented in the “Witness to Love: Couple’s Workbook” along with the materials that correspond to the strength and growth areas identified in the pre-marital Inventory.

Theology meeting with Priest/Deacon

  1. Prior to the 5th session with the mentor couple, the engaged couple will have attended the “Theology Day” provided by the Diocese with the instructions to return with at least 5 questions they would like answered in more depth.
  2. Mentor couple then arranges for a meeting in their home with the priest/deacon, the engaged couple, and the mentor couple to explore the answers to the questions that the engaged couple raised.
  3. Purpose of this meeting is two-fold: 1)  deepen the understanding of the Church’s theology of marriage for the engaged couple and 2) reawaken an appreciation for the Church’s understanding of marriage for the mentor couple.

Follow-up Meetings:

  1. After the wedding, the now newly married couple and their mentor couple are urged to continue meeting at least once every two months to continue their discussions of marriage and marital spirituality (mystagogia).
  2. The engaged couple is encouraged to turn to their mentor couple whenever the need arises to address any struggles or disagreements they may have.
  3. The relationship between the couples can continue indefinitely.