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Catholic Marriage
Preparation Survey |
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Complete the Surveys Couples survey Click here to take survey
Frequently Asked Questions about the survey Benefits of Marriage Preparation Marriage Preparation in England and Wales Marriage in the Documents of the Catholic Church Supporting Marriage in England and Wales Further information:
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Since
the beginning of this year the Marriage and Family Life Project Office
of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and
The surveys have revealed many positive facets of our marriage
preparation courses in England and Wales. Most couples express generous gratitude, and also respond that at the
outset they were very apprehensive about such courses but were
overwhelmingly, positively surprised at how much they enjoyed the course
and the benefit it had for their relationships and views on the
sacrament. We have received a wealth of encouraging responses including
the following: “now we know the kind of marriage we want,” and
“this is the best thing we have ever done for our relationship.”
Responses like these clearly demonstrate the positive effect marriage
preparation is having in our communities. Sentiments shared by the
couples who have participated in these courses, also shows the role the
programs, which are primarily run by members of the laity, can have in
encouraging sacramental lives. One
of the most striking results of the survey has been the motivations and
reactions of the couples. Understandably, most couples are participating
in a marriage preparation course because it is compulsory either in
their dioceses or in their parishes to do so. But it is highly
encouraging to learn that, even among those who were initially
apprehensive about the courses, the vast majority very much enjoyed the
experience and in fact would recommend their course to anyone planning
on getting married in the Church. Also the highest rated motivation was
“to give marriage the best possible start.” While
the survey results have given us much to rejoice over in things that are
going well, the responses have also given us much to consider when it
comes to improving this valuable service. Both marriage preparation
providers and the couples involved have responded with many useful
suggestions and constructive criticism to be carefully and eagerly
considered. Amidst the suggestions is a clear need for younger married
couples to run the courses, and also many requests asking that marriage
preparation courses become compulsory in all dioceses. A
variety of courses are being used around the country, including
organizational resources such as Marriage Care and FOCCUS, as well as
individual diocesan and parish team developed courses. Overall, Marriage
Care delivers the clear majority of programs that are available. An
interesting request was brought up by a few individuals, asking that
facilitators from different parishes, dioceses, and organisations be
able to meet with each other to exchange ideas to strengthen their own
programmes. Overall
the survey has seen that marriage preparation programmes have given
couples a more complete understanding, not only on the Church’s
teaching on Marriage, but even more so a more complete understanding of
themselves and their own relationships. The following direct quotes
display these effects: “it has given us the opportunity to talk about
issues not previously discussed,” “it gave us a greater
understanding of the bond of marriage and the strengths and weaknesses
of our relationship,” “it also sparked important topics of
conversation up between myself and my partner, on subjects that we might
briefly have spoken about,” “we found the course very helpful and it
helped to cement our relationship further,” and “we recommend it to
everybody who is thinking about getting married.” A very strong
emphasis is made in most programmes on the topic of conversation and
conflict management. One
point of concern is the shortage of resources, especially the number of
volunteers available. But the survey brings hope in this regard, as 42%
of couples said that they would consider becoming marriage preparation
facilitators in the future, so the resource shortage can perhaps be met
by the many couples who have themselves benefited from these programmes.
In
summary the results point to programmes that are a great asset to those
being prepared for the sacrament of marriage in the Catholic Church. The
survey has also brought to the communities’ attention many areas that
can still be improved through the many gifts the Holy Spirit has given
the people of
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