The married couples who participate in this worthwhile ministry provide the catechism for engaged couples on the sacrament of marriage. The team instructs couples on the theology of marriage and some essential aspects of a successful married relationship: communication, negotiation and conflict resolution, intimacy, spirituality, and responsible parenting.
Students are encouraged to explore who they are as individuals and to identify what positive and negative aspects of their families that they are bringing into their new family. Discussion includes the challenges of early marriage and balancing work and family.
Team couples share their personal experiences about not only the joys of marriage, but also how the distractions of daily life and stressful life events continually challenge marriage. This rewarding ministry fosters a greater appreciation of couple relationships and reminds us how sharing our love for each other and God’s love for us in married life strengthens and fulfills our lives.
How can you help?
Prayer
Anyone can assist us in our ministry by praying for us: that we convey the information that God wishes us to share with our couples; that our couples have open hearts to receive God’s message; that our couples have long and happy marriages.
Babysitting
Some of our Team couples have small children who require babysitting during the sessions. It would be a great service to us to care for our children while we teach the engaged.
Hospitality
Each session we supply snacks and beverages for the classes. You can contribute to the ministry by donating or coordinating such items.
Teaching
We are always looking for couples to join our ministry. Every couple has an arsenal of stories of how they’ve weathered financial trouble, communication differences, house repairs, illness, grief, unemployment…and let’s not forget our greatest blessing—children!
With a small amount of time you can help couples understand more about what it is like to live a Catholic marriage. The more you share, the more prepared they will be to conquer the hardships and joys that await them.
The teaching material & suggestions for activities are provided. We encourage couples to customize their presentations however they are comfortable—one spouse speaks, both spouses speak, using videos, other technology—it’s up to you! The most important aspect is to share your stories…please consider joining our team.
Classes are held twice a year. Presenting couples can attend as much or as little as they like. Couples are encouraged to visit and observe class as many times as they like to gauge their comfort level and interest. Presentation topics are chosen by couples: you will not be given a responsibility or assigned a presentation you have no interest in. Couples are encouraged to pray about what God is leading them to share with the students.
Click on the menu items to learn more about our program (they are written for the engaged couples).
If you are interested in any parts of this ministry, e-mail Kristina and Bobby Allen at quformation@gmail.com.
