The Catholic Church wants to help your marriage flourish and to last for a lifetime. It is our responsibility to help prepare you, using the best practices available today, to enter and live out the sacrament of Marriage, a beautiful way of life that demands a lifelong commitment. We're here to assist those desiring to marry to make a prayerful and mature decision concerning their marriage intentions.
The 7 Steps of Marriage Prep (click each step for more info)
Contact your parish and meet with a priest or deacon to begin the process.
Attend Thrive! seminar. Proceed to step 6.
Attend God's Plan for a Thriving Marriage online seminar. Proceed to step 4.
Attend either Catholic Engaged Encounter weekend retreat or weekly sessions with your parish Lead Couple.
If you would like to attend marriage preparation at your parish with a Lead Couple please contact your parish so they may connect you with a Lead Couple. Not all parishes have couples who can serve you in this capacity so you may need to choose from one of the other weekend options (Catholic Engaged Encounter or THRIVE! Marriage Preparation).
Attend an introductory session to Natural Family Planning (NFP) through Couple to Couple League or Fertility Care Center of KC.
Make a good confession prior to your "I do".
Schedule a final meeting with priest or deacon to prepare the liturgy for your wedding.
You may choose your marriage prep course from any of the preparation programs listed above, recognized by this Diocese for first marriages.
Couples remarrying within the Church (one spouse is entering a marriage after receiving an annulment or after the death of their previous spouse) are encouraged to take advantage of either parish-based preparation (Lead Couples) or to participate in the Thrive! program.
Special Circumstances
For engaged couples with special circumstances (usually involving location/distance) our own online marriage preparation program, Thrive Online, may be used. No special permission is needed as this is an ordinary form of marriage preparation in our diocese.