A Look at Our Marriage Preparation Ministry Joining Together and Uniting with God
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he dress, the flowers, the menu — there are usually a million things to accomplish between “Will you marry me?” and “I do.” But for couples preparing to be married at St. Ann, we hope to help not only in preparing for the details of the big day, but also in supporting couples as they plan for a marriage that will last a lifetime. “Too many times, they can focus on the clothes that are going to be worn, the reception, the food, and I’ll tell them, ‘I know this is important, too, but when you’re in church, you’re being united with God in the Sacrament of Matrimony, and I want you to be focused at that point on what an amazing thing is happening between the three of you,’” says Pastoral Associate Barbara Honda, who works with our couples as they prepare for marriage. “The three of you are in this together and you become one because He is with you.” The process of preparing for marriage at St. Ann begins with the couple connecting with our parish office to see if the church is available on the day they hope to celebrate the sacrament. Couples are encouraged to contact the parish as early as possible — about a year before their preferred wedding date. From there, they have the opportunity to request the priest they would like to have witness their marriage, as well as help them in the preparation process. Throughout the marriage preparation process, the couple will continue to meet with Barbara and one of our priests in order to complete paperwork, discuss details of the ceremony, and address any concerns. Couples preparing to receive the Sacrament
of Marriage at St. Ann are asked to participate in several aspects of our marriage preparation program, including a weekend Engaged Encounter Retreat, taking the FOCCUS Pre-Marriage Inventory, and meeting with one of our FOCCUS mentor couples. These aspects of our preparation program are designed to help the engaged couple address a variety of topics, which can sometimes be missed in the midst of the busyness of wedding preparations. “If they haven’t already been talking about things, I think these activities get them to sit down and talk with each other a little more,” Barbara says. “And it can just be something little, but as those of us who are married know, we may have been married all these years, but we still need to remember to take the time to talk.” Barbara hopes that our marriage preparation process not only helps couples to grow closer to one another as they prepare for marriage, but that it also helps them to prioritize their faith in their lives and relationship. “I hope that things touch them, so if they have been kind of lukewarm in their faith life, that their faith may take root as a married couple,” Barbara says. “I love when I see that happen with some of our couples and then I see them coming regularly to Mass, and I witness Baptisms for their children. That touches me so greatly, and it’s my hope and my prayer for each couple that I work with.” For parishioners who have been civilly married, but have not had their marriage celebrated in and blessed by the Church, Barbara encourages them to consider going through the process to have their marriage convalidated. continued on back cover
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