Are you engaged and ready to plan your wedding? Start Here

Marriage Preparation

The Center For Family Ministry offers a variety of programs and services to assist in Marriage Preparation.
 

Engaged Encounter

Engaged Encounter is a weekend program of input, reflection, and dialogue offered at the diocesan level for couples who are preparing to marry. Led by trained married couples and a priest, engaged couples are led through a process of self-discovery, relationship deepening, and spiritual connection. The approximately 300 couples who go through Engaged Encounter each year give the program high evaluations.

The weekends are held almost every month except for the months of June, July and August. Couples who book ahead should have no problems attending a weekend. However, since the weekends do fill up, couples who wait until the month before their wedding to contact Engaged Encounter may find themselves in difficulty. For reservations or questions, call the Catholic Engaged Encounter Info Line at 630-375-7072. Upcoming dates are listed in the Registration Brochure. ¿Se Habla Espanol?

Parish Marriage Preparation

All parishes are encouraged to develop their own marriage preparation program, and most parishes have already done so. Dr. James Healy offers training to parishes to help them set up their program, and offers further consultation and enrichment experiences after a parish begins. Follow-up workshops can be scheduled at the parish. However, there is always a workshop in the fall for those beginning in marriage preparation ministry. In the spring, there is normally an enrichment day for marriage preparation ministers. Please check our Event Calendar for upcoming dates.

FOCCUS Premarital Inventory Materials and Training

The FOCCUS Pre-Marital Inventory is an instrument designed to help couples learn more about themselves and their unique relationship. It is not a test nor meant as a predictor of success or failure in marriage. It is a tool to help couples name and work through issues before marriage.

FOCCUS (Facilitating Open Couple Communication, Understanding, and Study) provides individualized couple feedback on where each partner stands in regard to topic areas important to marriage. The results of the inventory point to issues or areas that may need to be addressed.

Dr. James Healy, director of the Center for Family Ministry, offers training to priests, deacons, and lay couples in administering FOCCUS and in using it to work with engaged couples.

Natural Family Planning

Information, class schedules and support for engaged couples who are interested in learning more about Natural Family Planning is available from the diocesan coordinator of NFP, Karen Buchert, at 630-551-1712. For classes in Spanish, call Lupita Sorich at 815-932-9275. Check our Event Calendar for dates and times for English and Spanish classes.

Consultation

Dr. Healy, who has a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Illinois and 22 years of experience in family ministry, is available to all staff , both lay and clergy, in the Joliet Diocese regarding marriage and marriage preparation issues.

Special Assessment Program

Couples who will be under the age of 19 when they wish to marry go though a special program to help them assess their readiness for marriage. This involves a pre-marital interview with a Catholic Charities counselor and some time spent with the priest or deacon who would be officiating at the wedding. Both the counselor and the priest or deacon send a confidential evaluation to Dr. James Healy, the director of the Center for Family Ministry, who then, with further consultation with the counselor and the priest or deacon, makes an assessment regarding any special help the couple may need. In some cases, a delay of the wedding may be necessary until a problem has been resolved.

Video and Audio Resources

A variety of materials related to marriage preparation are available on site or for borrowing. Please contact us regarding your particular need.
 

The Center wishes to bring a family perspective to parish ministry. We offer consultation with parishes regarding any family issue, and are particularly interested in the formation and maintenance of family ministry teams and commissions.