Congratulations, you're engaged!
Planning a wedding can be both exciting and stressful. Couples planning a Catholic Marriage know that their wedding day is much more than choosing the right flowers or venue.
The following information will help you answer questions you may have about a Catholic wedding and marriage and give you practical ways to keep God, your faith and love at the centre of the big day and for the rest of your married life.
Next Steps
Marriage in the Catholic Church is a sacred vow, which, like God’s promise to love us, can never be broken. The courses highlight marriage as a lifelong vocation and are designed to give practical guidance and skills to couples to ensure they form strong marriages.
Couples who wish to be married in the Catholic Church are asked to;
- Contact and meet with your parish priest/deacon as soon as you are engaged
- It is suggested you undertake this preparation at least 6 months before your marriage
- Book an approved Pre-marriage course. The Diocese of Parramatta offers 2 pre-marriage programs for couples
- Weekend Course – Friday evening and all-day Sunday
- SmartLoving engaged online with 9 online sessions and accompaniment of a sponsor couple
To book a marriage preparation program please visit this page.
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- If you have any questions, please Contact us.
Pre-Marriage Preparation Courses
The Diocese of Parramatta offers two marriage preparation programs for couples:
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- Weekend Course
- SmartLoving Engaged Online with a sponsor couple
Both preparations are designed to strengthen and enrich your relationship and work on building a rewarding life together.
Both preparations offer couples activities designed to explore your relationship together to:
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- Build skills
- Use the difficult times to grow
- To assist the couple to consider how they will live their faith in their marriage
Weekend Course
- Presented in a group setting by a married couple with couple only discussion
Fridays 7pm - 10pm
Sundays 9am - 4:30pm
This course offers sessions on: - Catholic Marriage
- Family of Origin
- Sound Marital House
- Communication
- Managing Conflict
- Couple Intimacy
- Natural Family Planning
SmartLoving Engaged Online
- Nine multimedia sessions online of approximately 1.5hr sessions Features of the course include:
- Work at your own pace and in your own home
- Complete the course in nine weeks
- Accompaniment by a sponsor couple allocated to you
- Topics include:
Mission to Love Building Unity
Dialogue Sex a Sacred Embrace
Love Gives Life Soul Mates for Life and more