Weddings & Marriage Preparation at St. Michael’s
Marriage Preparation
The purpose of marriage preparation is to help people prepare to live out their lives as sacramentally married in a Christian spirit and continue to grow in the realization of that mystery at the core of each marriage. Research shows that marriage preparation programs have a significant positive impact on participants as related to helping to improve relationship skills and the overall quality of their relationships. Best practice marriage ministry requires steady, reassuring, and intensive short and long-term marriage preparation and ongoing formation.
While it is necessary for all couples who wish to marry in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary to take a marriage preparation course, a personal approach to the state of being sacramentally married is to be offered. Marriage preparation should never be reduced to a simple instruction about certain aspects of marriage that relate only to the validity and lawfulness of the marriage. Rather, it must help to accompany a couple on their life’s journey as accompaniment is a pastoral ministry that is both/and — it challenges us to accompany people where they are, and to show others that we are walking with them toward the truth in the context of their lives’ concrete situations.
Marriage Preparation Steps
- Step 1: The engaged couple MUST FIRST complete the initial interview with the pastor OR appointed substitute (i.e. deacon or associate pastor) BEFORE they can register for a marriage preparation course.
- Step 2: DURING the initial interview the pastor or appointed substitute (i.e., deacon or associate pastor) provides the engaged couple with the following:
– Marriage Formation Pathway
– Brochure about “Choosing A Sponsor Couple” AND will review this aspect of marriage formation with the engaged couple.
– Marriage Formation Program – 2024
– Marriage Formation QR Codes – 2024 and 2025
- Step 3: The engaged couple registers online for the Marriage Preparation course FOLLOWING the initial interview with their pastor or appointed substitute (i.e., deacon or associate pastor).
– The registration fee for the Marriage Preparation Program is $250 per couple. The fee includes the Prepare- Enrich Couple Inventory vouchers, A Joy-Filled Marriage workbooks, additional PDF materials, lunches, snacks, and other incidentals.
Course dates for 2024:
Dates for the Marriage Preparation Course will be given to you in your initial interview. The course is offered each month for two weekend days. There is no course offered for July, August, or December of each year.
Planning A Wedding Ceremony
What you need to do to get started
There are several steps in the process to prepare you to marry in the Catholic Church. To get started, contact us at info@saintmichael.ca. We will arrange to meet with you and work with you through the process. Meanwhile, you can also check our preparation guide here.