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Engaged Couples

Welcome to building the foundation for your marriage.  One of the first parts of your Witness to Love journey is choosing a mentor couple.

Why should you choose your own mentor couple? There is an immediate benefit from inviting a couple whom you trust and admire to walk with you before and after your wedding day. Your relationship with a trusted mentor that you already know will help provide ongoing renewal as well as the spiritual and relational support needed throughout your married life.  Rooted, lasting relationships are vital for every newly married couple! You will also experience the delight of seeing the surprise and appreciation in your mentor couple’s eyes when you put into words your esteem for their witness to love.

Requirements:

  1. Married 5 years or more in the Catholic Church
  2. Active in the Church
  3. Have a marriage and family you both admire
  4. Go to the same church as you do now OR attend the church you will be married at OR attend the church that you will be attending after the wedding
  5. Should not be immediate family members

Steps to discerning:

Make sure to pray about your choice. Who can challenge you to have a better marriage? Do they have a strong relationship with Christ? Are they the couple you would go to naturally if you needed relationship help in the future? Do you like the way their kids turned out? Would you be happy if you had a marriage relationship like theirs? Discuss what it is specifically that you admire about their marriage. It doesn’t matter if you know them really well, but it does matter that you trust and admire them. If you get stuck, ask your parish for suggestions but remember that you still need to invite a couple to mentor/sponsor you. Just ask!

Check with your parish to see if they have Witness to Love materials in stock. If they do not have materials on hand simply click on this link: “Couple’s Marriage Prep Bundle” and order a set of materials. Make sure to order them well before you schedule your first meeting with your Marriage Prep Coordinator to ensure that the materials arrive in time.

If your parish requires or suggests a Natural Family Planning or “Fertility Awareness” course please contact your diocesan Office of Marriage and Family Life for a list of live classes or register for an online NFP class here.

testimonial-coupleI believe we definitely grew as a couple, not only closer to each other, but closer to God and the church. We really focused on the sacrament of marriage throughout the preparation. We also talked about things that really happen after the wedding; not being 100% perfect all of the time and how to deal with conflict/differences.

We both feel like this marriage prep has helped us so much. We would definitely want others to experience the positive knowledge to be gained. To people who think this is too much work, I would say to them that marriage itself is also a lot of work. I would tell them the divorce statistics today. You get what you put into it. Marriage is something that is supposed to be forever. If you can build your marriage on a strong foundation in the beginning, using the tools and lessons you can learn through Prepare-Enrich, I think you will find marriage to be something that CAN last forever.

I believe the Witness to Love marriage prep program brought us closer to our mentor couple because not only did we discuss some very deep issues, but also they were very honored that we chose them to mentor us. They really put time and effort into our meetings and were honest and open about their experiences. We also went to church as a family, which was also a pretty cool requirement.

~”Witnesses to Love” Jeremy & Lindsay

Ready to get started?

Your mentor couple should have an access code for the course and they will log in to access the course content during your first meeting.

Praise for Witness to Love

We loved being Witness to Love marriage preparation mentors. When we were married, we were only required to attend a one day session. We wish that all couples were given this opportunity. We became closer to the couple than we had even hoped for. They opened up to us so much. The mentoring process was such a blessing because we took the time to revisit important decisions and events that had happened during our twelve years of marriage.

— Jill & John, Witness to Love mentor couple

Witness to Love “reintegrates” the mentor couple as well, not only into the parish, but also into their own marriage. It gives them a set of “fresh” eyes towards their own relationship with each other and with God.

— Deacon David Dawson, Pastoral Associate

A program that is true to its name, Witness to Love is that on many levels because it builds Church at every level. It is a blessing to our Parish, our community and our Church. Let Witness to Love share love in your Parish. You won’t regret it.

— Don & Sharon, Witness to Love mentor couple

The more I do in ministry, including marriage prep, the more I am convinced that in today’s culture real evangelization happens person to person. (…)The Witness to Love mentor couples always express their gratitude for being part of the process. They always comment that it was “very good for their own marriage.” As a pastor, Witness To Love is a no-brainer for this very reason. We get the chance to evangelize, form, and catechize two couples for the price of one! Give Witness To Love a try and you will not regret it.

— Fr. Andrew Merrick, Pastor

I believe we definitely grew as a couple, not only closer to each other, but closer to God and the church.

— Jeremy & Lindsay, Witnesses to Love engaged couple participants

It is with enthusiasm that I recommend Witness to Love’s programs and resources to you. The fruits fostered by this ministry bring about deeper parish connection and authentic accompaniment for engaged and newly married couples.

— Most Reverend Gregory M. Aymond, Archbishop of New Orleans

The process was amazing. We didn’t think we had a perfect marriage, but the fact that someone thought the way we lived, prayed, and loved was an inspiration was truly an eye opener for US for what we really had.

— Caprice & Dane, Witness to Love mentor couple

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