Catholic Marriage Survey 2010

Marriage Preparation Programmes

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Frequently Asked Questions about the survey

Updates and Downloads

Prayercards

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:
Elizabeth Davies, Marriage and
Family Life Project Officer,
CBCEW, 39 Eccleston Square,
London SW1V 2BX
Elizabeth.Davies@cbcew.org.uk
Tel 07817 479694

All couples marrying in the Catholic Church will receive some marriage preparation from their parish priest or deacon; however some couples are offered or access additional opportunities to prepare for their wedding. The Catholic Marriage Preparation Survey 2010 is interested in both forms of preparation because they are both important and usually complement each other. Some dioceses, such as Arundel & Brighton, Hallam, Lancaster, Leeds, Southwark and Westminster have developed or adopted particular programmes of preparation and train networks of providers. Organisations and movements such as Engaged Encounter (see below), Schoenstatt and Chemin Neuf have also developed programmes of marriage preparation. Carefully Prepared is an ecumenical programme created by Churches Together for Families. Some parishes have found the Marriage Preparation course developed at Holy Trinity, Brompton helpful. Premarital inventories such as FOCCUS and PREPARE are common too. Marriage Care is the largest single provider of marriage preparation across England and Wales.

A Relationships Foundation report (Building Strong Foundations, July 2009) estimates that 24% of all individuals marrying each year access some form of preparation prior to their wedding, often delivered within the faith sector. In 2008 9,932 marriages took place in the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Figures from two dioceses (Shrewsbury and Southwark) show they prepared 9% of these couples. In the year ending March 31 2009, Marriage Care also prepared 2,777 couples across England and Wales - 28% of the annual total.

Marriage Preparation Providers covering England and Wales

Marriage Care
Marriage Care offers a marriage preparation course that is conducted in co-operation with local churches and others who are helping couples to get ready for their wedding and for married life. The content of the course makes it an integral component of the whole pastoral service to couples entering marriage. Read more
Find a Marriage Care Centre near you...

Engaged Encounter
An Engaged Encounter weekend is a form of marriage preparation. It is designed to give couples preparing for marriage the chance to talk openly about their expectations and attitudes in such areas as work, money, children, in-laws, sex, leisure time, church and so on. The focus of the weekend is on growth in relationships through communication as a couple. It is not a retreat and there are no group discussions. Read more
Dates and venues

Diocesan Based Programmes

Arundel & Brighton
Marriage Preparation courses are offered by Redhill and Crawley Marriage Care with all courses taking place in Crawley. Booking is essential. More information.

Cardiff
In the Archdiocese of Cardiff marriage preparation is offered through the local Marriage Care centre. More information

East Anglia
All couples who are preparing to marry in the Catholic Church within the Diocese of East Anglia have access to Marriage Preparation. In most parishes, this is carried out by the clergy, sometimes assisted by married couples to form Marriage Preparation Teams, either within an individual parish or a group of parishes. Most engaged couples also have the opportunity to attend a Marriage Preparation Day organised by Marriage Care.

The Diocesan Commission for Marriage and Family Life is currently recruiting volunteers to be trained as Marriage Preparation Providers so that couples have easier, more local access to Marriage Preparation.

The Commission is also asking couples who have been married for a few years to inform us about the relevance of their own Marriage Preparation in the light of their experience of married life. This information, together with research into best practice in other dioceses, will be used to prepare a diocesan policy for Marriage Preparation, giving guide lines whilst at the same time allowing flexibility for individual couples and providers. More information
Arranging your wedding in the Diocese of East Anglia

Hallam
The Diocese of Hallam has developed its own marriage preparation programme called “Preparing for a Lifetime Together” in co-operation with Marriage Care Hallam, Worldwide Marriage Encounter (England and Wales) and Prepare Enrich UK, using research based information and the considerable experience of the Development Group. More information
Getting married in the Diocese of Hallam

Lancaster
The Diocese of Lancaster has published it's marriage preparation programme 'Fit For Mission? Marriage' with the Catholic Truth Society. More information

Leeds
The Diocese of Leeds has developed its own marriage preparation programme and offers free training annually to parish priests and volunteers in its use. More information
A leaflet about the course

Liverpool

The Liverpool Archdiocesan marriage preparation programme encourages couples to further explore their relationship and to become more aware of each other, the things they bring to the marriage and the way in which their relationship works. Getting married and staying married is one of the greatest challenges to adults today. We believe that enhancing a couple’s mutual understanding at the time they are planning to marry greatly improves their chances of a lasting and satisfying life together. The course aims to be relaxed and informal through the use of presentations and discussions, questionnaires and personal input. Couples have plenty of opportunity to discuss issues both with other couples and just between themselves. The programme includes the following main areas:

Exploring expectations
Communication
Conflict management
Commitment
Nurturing the relationship

For further information contact: Coordinator for Marriage and Family Life Ministry
Maureen O'Brien

Plymouth
In the Diocese of Plymouth marriage preparation is provided principally by Marriage Care South West with deanery teams in Exeter, Plymouth and Torbay. More information

Portsmouth
Whilst the same core elements can be found in all forms of marriage preparation in Portsmouth Diocese there are a number of different ways in which it is provided. The Pastoral Formation team believe this diversity is one of the great strengths of the diocese and gives couples the opportunity to find a format that suits them. More information
Frequently asked questions about marriage preparation in the Diocese of Portsmouth

Salford
The Diocese of Salford offers various courses throughout the Diocese, using different models according to need and circumstances. Some have meetings during the week in the evenings and others offer courses at the weekend. All courses include the following themes within our Catholic vision of married and family life: Communication, life of faith, family of origin, the gift of sexuality, family planning, keeping the romance alive, conflict resolution, marriage and family rituals, and suggestions and customs for your wedding celebration in Church. More information.

Shrewsbury
The Diocese of Shrewsbury has over 60 Marriage Preparation Providers working in parishes and deaneries throughout the diocese. The majority are trained by Marriage Care and use their materials. Many work for Marriage Care and many work as a diocesan resource. In all cases the Marriage Preparation Providers give their time freely. MP Courses can be presented as one day courses or four evenings. Planning the wedding liturgy requires a separate meeting with the presiding priest or deacon. More information

Southwark
Marriage preparation in the Archdiocese of Southwark is offered across the three pastoral areas by a team of priests, deacons and lay people, who have developed the diocesan marriage preparation programme. The area teams are helping to prepare record numbers of couples for marriage with approx. 650 couples expected to attend courses this year. Anonymous evaluation sheets given out at the end of the course are overwhelmingly positive, as is the feedback from priests and deacons. All our courses include sessions on the sacramental nature of marriage, natural fertility awareness as well as inter-personal relationships. Obviously, preparing such a large number of couples is not without problems, but the team try to deal with situations efficiently and with a sense of humour. More information

Westminster
The Pastoral Affairs Department of the Archdiocese of Westminster offers a range of courses through parishes and local Marriage Care centres. More information.