Marriage and Family Life Office
Diocese of Kansas City - St. Joseph, Missouri

Contact Us

(816) 714-2373  [email protected]

   

This is a unique option for engaged couples who are preparing for marriage in the Diocese of Kansas City – St. Joseph and the Diocese of Des Moines.  The dual focus on human and spiritual development makes this program different from others now available.

Curriculum: couples will learn about . . .

-scientifically proven, research-based relationship development

-cutting-edge brain science

-positive psychology

-women’s health

-the theological vision of marriage

-insights from Theology of the Body

and practical guidance for...

-preparing to have a family

-developing a life of prayer and virtue

-making intentional decisions about how they can form their new home as a domestic church in which everyone THRIVES!

 

This program fulfills steps 3, 4, and 5 of the marriage preparation requirements for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph.
This program fulfills the sacramental workshop requirement for the Diocese of Des Moines.

 

Cost: $250 per couple 
Couples will receive all necessary supplemental materials in the mail prior to beginning the course.  Each chapter will contain video presentations, reading, and online quizzes to submit.  Our mentors will provide personalized feedback to your answers throughout the course and you will be encouraged to communicate with them to ask questions. 

The course is divided into Part One and Part Two.  You will be given ten weeks to access the content in Part One and eight weeks to access Part Two.  This allows you the flexibility to complete the course on your own schedule, enabling you to go into deeper discussion, and to take breaks when needed. There are 14 chapters total, which means you can complete the course in as little as one chapter per week, or you could complete the entire course in a weekend if necessary.

PLEASE NOTE: You MUST finish the course within ONE MONTH of your wedding date. If necessary, your course deadlines will be shortened to allow for this.

As part of the course, participants within the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph will complete an introduction to Natural Family Planning through Fertility Care Center of Kansas City, either as a one-hour, live Zoom conference or an in-person meeting. This is included in the course and will not be an additional cost to you. If you are preparing for marriage preparation within the Diocese of Des Moines, you wlil complete your Natural Family Planning requirements through your parish.

Register for Thrive: Online Marriage Preparation

If you will need two sets of materials sent to different locations, please include both addresses here. This should only be necessary if you live in separate cities and will need to work remotely.
Please select the diocese where you are preparing for marriage.
We understand that Thrive fulfills steps 3, 4, and 5 of the requirements set forth by the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph for marriage preparation in the Catholic Church, and that, in order to receive a certificate of completion of these requirements, we agree to work together to complete all the material.
We acknowledge that we must complete an introduction to Natural Family Planning, provided by Fertility Care Center of Kansas City, either as an online, one-hour Zoom session or an in-person class. We understand that we will receive instructions by email for doing so, and that it will not be at an additional cost to us. We agree to complete this requirement within the time frame of the Thrive course.
We acknowledge that we must complete the entire course NO LATER than the deadline set for the course, AND that the deadline could be accelerated to ensure that we complete the course no later than ONE MONTH prior to our wedding.
We understand that our marriage preparation process is coordinated at the parish at which we will be married, and we are in communication with our pastor to ensure that the pre-marriage process will be completed at least one month in advance of our wedding.
We understand that Thrive Online fulfills the sacramental workshop component of marriage preparation for the Diocese of Des Moines, and we will coordinate with our parish to engage the sponsor couple program and an introduction to Natural Family Planning.
We acknowledge that we must complete the entire course NO LATER than the deadline set for the course, AND that the deadline could be accelerated to ensure that we complete the course at least ONE MONTH in advance of our wedding.
Our pastor has given approval for the use of Thrive for marriage preparation, and we agree to work together as a couple to complete all the course material in order to receive a certificate of completion.
We acknowledge that we must complete an introduction to Natural Family Planning, provided by Fertility Care Center of Kansas City, either as an online, one-hour Zoom session or an in-person class. We understand that we will receive instructions by email for doing so, and that it will not be at an additional cost to us. We agree to complete this requirement within the time frame of the Thrive course.
We acknowledge that we must complete the entire course NO LATER than the deadline set for the course, AND that the deadline could be accelerated to ensure that we complete the course no later than ONE MONTH prior to our wedding.
If your diocese is not listed here, please contact us to determine whether Thrive may be approved for marriage preparation in your diocese. If you wish to complete the course without approval, you may do so. Please note that you may not receive credit for its completion in this case. Please contact Kristen Marquis: 816-714-2373 or [email protected]

We really enjoyed this course! We especially enjoyed the spiritual growth we both experienced during "Part 2: Continuing Up the Spiral Staircase." It has helped us to dive deeper into what it means to be married and develop skills that we will use to create a happy, fulfilling life together rooted in our faith in God.

- Sarah & Andrew, Chillicothe, MO

This course is challenging, covers many topics, and requires committed attention but ultimately is very helpful in initiating conversations and thoughts on topics couples might not otherwise have. We found the course to be rewarding.

-Matt and Louise, Kansas City, MO

This course was extremely fruitful and helpful in preparation for our marriage. The course contained timely, relevant and important information that was presented in a relatable and non-judgmental way. We will take away things from this course that will be very important to our marriage that we haven't heard of before! We don't know how any couple gets married without going through marriage prep first!

-Nate and Karsen, Kansas City, KS

This course really helps to guide you through questions you should be answering before marriage, but might not think of on your own. The instructors and instruction is thought provoking and really helped us open up to one another.

-Matt and Claire, Mission, KS

My fiancé and I really enjoyed this course, even in a virtual environment. Truthfully, we went into this thinking that we were so well prepared for marriage that there wasn't much else to discuss, however, we learned something new with every lesson. This whole course does such a great job of explaining why the Catholic values are important, and how staying true to them can help you maintain a long, thriving marriage!

-Adam and Victoria, Dallas, TX