Formation in the Sacrament of Marriage is truly a lifelong project. The decision to say “I do” is made, again and again, remembering and renewing the decision initially made on the altar before Christ and His Church. Each day, we renew our commitment to love our beloved the way Christ loves us. We allow the grace of the Sacrament to continue shaping us into the persons God made us be, getting closer to heaven in the process. Please review the marriage enrichment resources below to see what’s right for you. Most of these resources listed can be completed by a couple on their own or in a group format in a home or parish setting. Please click here for additional resources for couples experiencing serious challenges in their relationship.
Marriage Enrichment Resources
- Grace Marriage: Grace Marriage guides couples to be intentional and build their marriage on the foundation of grace. Structured around easy-to-follow monthly sessions with videos, worksheets, and questions to inspire thought and conversations. Online resources are conveniently organized inside a private Grace Marriage at Home member-only site.
- CoupleTalk offers a set of powerful communication tools to teach couples healthy ways to communicate as a couple about any topic and help improve their everyday communication. Couples can experience the full in-class program from their home and at their own pace. All 10 sessions are available to stream online for free.
- Communio Date Night Kits: These free date night kits are a couple’s one-stop shop for a romantic date at home together. Communio also offers activities for ongoing engagement
- Choice Wine: 7 Steps to a Superabundant Marriage can be experienced by couples directly at home, or in a small group or parish. Click here to learn more and get started.
- Worldwide Marriage Encounter is a weekend for married Christian couples who value their relationship and desire a richer, fuller life together. Attend a Marriage Encounter weekend and learn the tools to keep your marriage strong. Click here for a list of upcoming weekends.
- REFOCCUS Marriage Enrichment Inventory is a packet of five questionnaires that married couples can use and score by themselves or as part of a weekend retreat. It is ideal for married couples who wish to spend time and energy on their relationship, but desire a little direction and skill building assistance in doing so. Click here to learn more and get started.
- For Your Marriage helps couples at all stages of life to understand and live God’s plan for happy, holy marriages by providing education and spiritual resources. The website was launched in 2007 as part of the National Pastoral Initiative for Marriage, an initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops to communicate the meaning and value of married life for the Church and for society.
- BELOVED is a 12-part series from Formed that parishes can host to help couples uncover the mystery and meaning of the sacrament of marriage. Also available in Spanish.
- Love Languages: Click here to learn more about the Five Love Languages and discover your love language!
- Smart Loving’s Marriage Kit is an online course for married couples wanting a lasting, passionate relationship.
- 10 Great Dates provides resources for couples to break the routine, reignite the excitement, and fall in love again.
- CANA welcomes those who want to deepen their relationship as a couple, with monthly sharing groups, weekend and one-day retreats, CANA@Home, and week-long retreats.
- Joyful Ever After’s mission is to help couples flourish in holy marriages, build strong marriage communities, and enrich parish life with the soul of the family.
Ministry Resources
- Grace Marriage provides a pathway of discipleship for married couples in the parish structured around monthly or quarterly gatherings. It helps close the gap between premarital counseling and crisis care and responds to the statistic that 72% of churches lack any substantive marriage ministry. About 5-6 parishes in the Diocese of San Diego are currently using Grace Marriage.
- Sacramental Adventures in Marriage (SAIM) is a 10-hour-long workshop that teaches couples how to communicate well and meaningfully, resolve conflicts, Daily Examen called “Couple’s Check-in”, all with the spiritual underpinning based on Sacramental Marriage and Love & Responsibility. Adapted from Adventures in Marriage by Live the Life, Inc.
- CoupleTalk: Cracking the Code to an Amazing Relationships offers couples a set of communication tools to help them communicate about any topic and improve their everyday communication. Parishes can east a host a class. Click here to learn more.
- Communio: Parishes can leverage Communio’s free digital resources with their own branding to bless couples in their community and drive further engagement with participants by sharing content in the Ongoing Engagement and Growth Journey sections.
- Choice Wine: 7 Steps to a Superabundant Marriage is a 9-session, interactive multimedia experience that parishes or small groups can host. Click here for more information on how to start Choice Wine at your parish.
- Radiate Love: Through the California Catholic Bishops’ Radiate Love campaign, parish resources are provided to help parishes build a culture of marriage.
- Alpha’s The Marriage Course creates a space that offers couples practical tools to help them build a stronger marriage.
- Happy Together creates books and programs designed to help Catholic parishes support married couples with programs that have a positive message about marriage and are grounded in our Catholic tradition.
Contact Information
Staff
- Director: John Prust
- Associate Director: Janelle Peregoy
- Associate Director: Wendy Baez
- Administrative Assistant: Angie Rosario