10 Ways Married Couples Can Celebrate the Year of Faith

As many of you know, we are now celebrating a Year of Faith in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the Second Vatican Council and the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. There have been a lot of suggestions for what to do to celebrate the Year of Faith as a parish, but what can married couples do?

Here are ten ways you can celebrate the Year of Faith with your spouse in 2012-2013:

1. Read the Catechism of the Catholic Church

The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains a synthesis of the Catholic faith. The Catechism is broken up into four parts: the profession of faith, the sacraments, morality, and prayer. People tend to be a little intimidated when first picking it up, but the Catechism contains excellent descriptions of our faith. All too often we let the media and hearsay influence what we think the Church teaches without ever reading it for ourselves.

Flocknote has a free way to sign up to read the Catechism in small portions throughout the Year of Faith. Sign up, read the portions of the Catechism, and talk about it with your spouse at night.

2. Share Your Faith with Another Married Couple

For whatever reason, we tend to feel uncomfortable about sharing our faith. We can feel awkward and preachy like we’re trying to convert people or proselytize. As a result, we hide the important ideals and beliefs that we cling to. We keep our relationship with God to ourselves as if it was too personal to give away.

The Year of Faith is a great opportunity to get over this fear of sharing your faith. You don’t need to be pushy to share what you believe. Start with an invitation. Invite another couple to come to Mass. Ask them to join you at a parish event. Invite them over for dinner and start the meal with prayer or a reading from Scripture.

If they take you up on the invitation, then great, you can expand on that. If they ask you questions, then perfect! If not, don’t be discouraged. Being yourselves is the best way to share what you believe.

3. Pray Together for at Least Fifteen Minutes

Can you set aside just fifteen minutes of your time to pray together? Praying with your spouse doesn’t have to be difficult. The hard part is setting aside the time. Here are some things you can do during those fifteen minutes of prayer:

• Read a passage from the Bible and talk about it.
• Read today’s readings from the USCCB’s website.
• Pray the Rosary. (Buy an app for it.)
• Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
• Get a prayer book.
• Pray the Liturgy of the Hours (Vespers)

You can try these prayer ideas or make up some of your own. The key is setting aside the time and making prayer a habit. The commitment to prayer and just showing up together will make a big difference.

4. Volunteer at Your Parish

Your local parish needs help. There are so many ways to get involved in Catholic parishes. Are you interested in teaching children in a religious education program? Could you chaperone a teen retreat? Would you be willing to set aside some time to volunteer at a soup kitchen? Can you babysit?

There are so many ways to get involved with your parish. Contact your parish by phone to ask for ways you can help.

5. Go to Confession

When was the last time you and your spouse participated in the Sacrament of Reconciliation? It can be a very freeing experience. It is always a little scary at first, especially if you’re not used to going, but the fruits of the experience far outweigh the fears. Check your local parish’s schedule for the Sacrament of Reconciliation (also called Penance or Confession) for times, typically on Saturdays.

6. Talk about Tough Issues while Remaining Faithful

The Year of Faith has a particular focus on our faithfulness to God, but why not build upon your faithfulness to your spouse. The only way to strengthen your union together is through communication and overcoming conflict. You have to push through the tough conversations. Keeping your faith in marriage despite disagreements and challenges is how you build up the strength that carries you through the toughest times in your married life.

7. Start a Bible Study with Your Spouse

How often do you read the Bible? How often do you read the Bible with your spouse? Make the commitment to read a book of the Bible and talk about it together. You might even consider using your copy of Together for Life to do a mini-Bible study with all of the possible readings for a Catholic wedding in addition to the ones you selected.

Read the scripture passage, read the reflection, then discuss what it says to you and how it connects to your relationship together. Set aside a designated time to do this together. Make it a part of your next date night.

8. Read a Good Book on Catholic Theology

If you are really into reading, you can pick up a good book about Catholic theology together. Read chapters each week and set aside some time to discuss the book together. Try your best to relate it back to your relationship together and your relationship to the Church. Ave Maria Press publishes a series of books by Msgr. Peter J. Vaghi based on the Catechism that might be a good place to start:

• The Faith We Profess 
• The Sacraments We Celebrate 
• The Commandments We Keep 
• The Prayer We Offer 

9. Follow Updates on the Year of Faith

The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend and popular iPhone app creators Little iApps have partnered to create an interactive way to participate in the Year of Faith. You can visit the website at www.myyearoffaith.org or download the app called “My Year of Faith” available both in the iTunes Store and Android Marketplace.

10. Renew Your Vows

Whether you were baptized as an infant or a participant in an RCIA program, you or your parents and godparents professed the faith through the Catholic baptismal vows. We renew our baptismal vows at various points throughout the year, including baptismal ceremonies and Easter Sunday. Renewing these vows is renewing the faith that you profess as a Christian.

You can also take this year as an opportunity to renew your marriage vows. You pledged to be faithful to your spouse in marriage. Renewing these vows gives you the opportunity to renew this pledge of faithfulness.

Contact your parish for opportunities to do this as a part of a Church ceremony or renew them privately as a couple in your home.

What Other Ways Can We Celebrate the Year of Faith?

These are only ten suggestions. There are, of course, many other ways to live out the Year of Faith as a married couple. If you have additional ideas as a married person or as a parish leader, post them in the comments below!