Category

Marriage Preparation

Aug 28
0
Financial Tips for Newlyweds

Ten Financial Tips for Newly Married Catholic Couples

By | Finances, Marriage Preparation | No Comments

We contacted Catholic Financial Life to give Catholic couples a few short tips on managing their finances, especially when just starting out in a marriage. Financial advisor Dan Lloyd, was nice enough to share these ten financial tips for newlyweds: 1. Set Your Financial Goals Discuss your short-term and long-term goals together and write them down. Goals should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-based, and Timed. 2. Open a Checking and Savings Account Set up a joint account for household expenses. Do not use check cashing stores because the effective annual interest rate can be as high as 900%. 3. Communicate and Participate Your marriage partnership is also a financial partnership.  Both spouses should be involved in the household finances. Set guidelines for financial decisions and talk regularly about your progress towards your financial goals. 4. Create a Budget Start by tracking two months of income and expenses. If your…

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Jul 24
44
Getting Married in the Catholic Church

Getting Married in the Catholic Church: FAQs

By | Catholic Weddings, Marriage Preparation, Meaning of Marriage | 29 Comments
So you’ve decided to get married in a Catholic church. Congratulations on the sacramental journey you are about to begin. Indeed, the ceremony you will be planning is more than just an event, it is a sacrament, a sign of your union together founded upon the love of Christ. It is not a sign like a stop sign that says one thing plainly and simply. Rather it is a sign to the world of the covenantal (sacred and permanent) relationship into which God has called the two of you. Because your marriage is that kind of sign, it will have an effect on everything about you. Likewise, it will have varying effects on everyone you know. In short, you do not marry in private. Sometimes, when a couple contacts a Catholic church about setting up a wedding ceremony, they get questions about their backgrounds and things like parish membership from the parish...
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Jul 18
0
Pope Benedict XVI & Engaged Couples

Pope Benedict XVI’s Top Tips for Engaged Couples

By | Marriage Preparation, Spirituality | No Comments

Not long ago Pope Benedict XVI addressed a group of engaged couples with tips and well wishes on their new journeys of love. His message imparts wisdom to couples preparing for the lifelong commitment of marriage and reminds married couples of the significance of their vocation to love one another. Benedict XVI crafted his message around the key wedding story in the Gospels: the wedding feast at Cana. In particular, he reminds us of Jesus’ significant act within the story, turning of water into wine. The celebration was missing the wine and Jesus provided it! Today, wine is lacking from our own celebration of marriage. If so, what are we drinking instead? And, what is the real pleasure of the celebration that we long for? 3 Tips from the Papal Address to Engaged Couples 1. Remember, Marriage Isn’t Going to Be Easy “Ours is not an easy time, above all…

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Jul 02
1
Communication and the Theology of the Body

Effective Communication and the Theology of the Body

By | Communication, Marriage Enrichment, Marriage Preparation | No Comments

The topic of “communication” is popular in marriage preparation programs and pre-Cana retreats. There is nearly always a witness talk on communication in marriage, because it is so important to the success of any relationship. These are often very practical and personal talks. But what about the spiritual side of communication? What does communication have to do with theology? John Paul II’s Theology of the Body provides an important spiritual perspective on the topic of “communication” that can help frame these witness talks and other marriage preparation discussions about communication between couples. To put it simply, we communicate the truth about ourselves as married couples through our bodies. This act of communication should reveal what is at our deepest core: we are made in the image and likeness of God as a communion of persons. Communication in Conventional Language John Paul II specifically addresses “communication” in his catecheses on Genesis…

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May 31
0
Getting Married: Using Social Media to Celebrate the Sacred

Social Media and Marriage: An Interview with Meredith Gould

By | Communication, Marriage Enrichment, Marriage Preparation | 2 Comments

Today we are excited to welcome Meredith Gould, author and social media evangelist, to Together for Life Online. Meredith is the author of the book, Getting #Married: Using Social Media to Celebrate the Sacred. In a world increasingly plugged-in and connected via social media, this topic comes at a critical time for couples preparing for marriage as well as those who are already married. She has some interesting ideas about integrating social media into all facets of weddings and marriage. Enjoy. How can couples effectively use social media to prepare for their marriage? While it may seem like an exaggeration, I believe every social media platform has the potential for effective use by couples preparing for marriage—and I do mean marriage in addition to wedding prep. In Getting #Married: Using Social Media to Celebrate the Sacred, I explain how my husband and I used Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to allow…

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Nov 04
0
New Together for Life Booklet Cover

A History of Together for Life

By | Marriage Preparation | No Comments

It is traditional in many places for a bride to wear or carry “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue” on her wedding day. As you prepare for your Catholic wedding by using the Together for Life booklet, you might like to know that it, too, is both “something old and something new.” In 2010 Together for Life marked its fortieth year of continuous publication. It was most likely around this time when your parents got married and they may well have used it. It might be fun to ask them if they recall using the book and how they went about planning their wedding ceremony. Together for Life was the brainchild of a young priest from Syracuse, New York, Fr. Joseph Champlin. Throughout his fifty years of ministry, Fr. Champlin had a special love for working with engaged couples. So when the Church issued a revised Rite…

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Sep 07
0

Have You Talked About Debt With Your Future Spouse?

By | Finances, Marriage Enrichment, Marriage Preparation | No Comments

The amount of consumer debt in the United States is striking. More and more couples are finding themselves overwhelmed with student loan and credit card debt as they enter into marriage. This is a serious issue that needs to be discussed in the preparation for marriage. How to Talk about Debt with your Fiancée/Fiancé 1. Set Aside a Time to Discuss It Financial conversations that occur in passing are never a good thing. Set aside some time to discuss your financial debts with your future spouse. List them on a sheet of paper. Consult some of the websites below for some help in guiding this discussion. 2. Set Financial Goals Together I wish I would have read Dave Ramsey’s book The Total Money Makeover before I got married. I knew debt was bad, but I really didn’t know where I should put the money that I was saving each month….

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