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on yourENGAGEMENTMarriage Preparation Information

ARCHDIOCESE OF MIAMIFeast of St Matthew,Apostle and EvangelistARCHDIOCESEOFMIAMIOffice of theArchbishopOfficeof the ArchbishopSeptember 21, 2016Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and EvangelistDearsisterChrist,Feastof StbrotherMatthew,andApostleand inEvangelistDearbrotherand sister in Christ,September21, 2016Please know how happy I am that you are planning to celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony.Please know how happy I am that you are planning to celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony.Dearbrother youand sisterChrist,I invitebothin touse this time of your formal engagement to not only plan your wedding day, but alsoI invite you both to use this time of your formal engagement to not only plan your weddingyourknowmarriedlife.Yourpresenceandto activethe various programs of marriage preparationPleasehow happyI amthat youare planningcelebrateparticipationthe Sacrament ofinMatrimony.day, but also your marriedlife.Your presenceand active participationin the variouspresented by your parish andthearchdiocese willhelp you to do just that.programsof marriagepreparationparishand thearchdiocesewill helpI invite you bothto use this timeof your formalpresentedengagement tobynotyouronly planyour weddingday,but alsoyour married life. Your presence and active participation in the various programs of marriage dandesteemedthecommittedrelationshipThe Churchhasandalwaysvaluedwillandpresentedby your parishthe archdiocesehelp esteemedyou to do just thethat. committed relationship called marriage. For us ascalledmarriage.For usCatholics,marriageis aChristsign ofof JesusChrist Husbandsfor his bride,Catholics,marriageisasa signof the loveof Jesusforthehislovebride,the Church.and wives areTheChurchtohasalwaysvaluedandesteemedthe committedrelationship called marriage. For us stloveshisChurch.Catholics, marriage is a sign of the love of Jesus Christ for his bride, the Church. Husbands and wives arecalled to love each other as Christ loves his Church.If oneyouis youfifindthe variousvarious elementsIf oneof ofyouis notCatholic,wewewelcomend theelementsofofthisIf one of you is not Catholic, we welcome you and hope that you find the various elements of sentthevisionofmarriagefroma doestrytopresentthevisionofmarriageapreparation helpful and practical as it does try to present the vision of marriage from a e.If one or both of you are Catholic and are actively practicing, we hope this preparation further strengthensIf practiceonebothyouareCatholicandand this preparationstrengthensIfyouroneor nd commitmentto Catholicthe goodness,truth,arebeauty of theCatholic faith.weIf youare videsyouwitharenewalofthestrengthens your practice and commitment to the goodness, truth, and beauty of the Catholicgiftcurrentlyof faith youpracticingwere given inyourBaptismand IIinviteto a moreactive practicethe faith. provides you with a renewal of thefaith,hopeyouyourpreparationforofmarriagefaith. If you are not currently practicing your faith, I hope your preparation for marriageyouweregivenin BaptismandI inviteyouto aonlymore activepractice of the faith.Asgiftmenofandfaithwomencreatedin theimageofGod,wecan werebehappythe sincereprovidesyouwitha renewalofandthelikenessgift offaithyougiven throughin Baptismand I invite you to agift of ourselves. May the mutual gift of yourselves in your upcoming marriage, blessed by God in themorepracticethe faith.Church,bringandyoumuchjoy.ofcreatedAs activemenwomenin the image and likeness of God, we can be happy only through the sinceregift of ourselves. May the mutual gift of yourselves in your upcoming marriage, blessed by God in theAs Church,men andbringwomenin the image and likeness of God, we can be happy only throughyou createdmuch joy.Sincerelyyoursgiftin Christ,thesincereof ourselves. May the mutual gift of yourselves in your upcoming marriage,blessed by God in the Church, bring you much Most Reverend Thomas G. WenskiArchbishop of MiamiMost Reverend Thomas G. WenskiMost Reverend Thomas G. WenskiArchbishop of MiamiArchbishop of Miami9401 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami Shores, FL 33138Phone: 305-762-1231 Fax: 305-757-3947MAY THEMUTUAL GIFTOF YOURSELVESIN YOUR UPCOMINGMARRIAGE,BLESSED BY GODIN THE CHURCH,BRING YOUMUCH JOY.— Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski —

THE FIVE ELEMENTS1PARISH CONNECTION2MARRIAGE FORMATION3FAITH FORMATION4LITURGICAL FORMATION5MARRIAGE ENRICHMENTOF MARRIAGE PREPARATIONMarriage preparation was oftenreferred to as “pre-Cana” becausethe first miracle of Jesus was at a weddingin the town of Cana. Mary, his mother,was also present and noticed the weddingparty had run out of wine. She then askedJesus to help the newlyweds. Changingthe water into wine was the first publicmiracle of Jesus. This miracle reveals bothMary’s loving intercession for marriedcouples and Jesus’ presence and care forour needs. Therefore “Pre-Cana” refersto preparing for a marriage in which Jesusis invited to the wedding and into themarriage that follows.Couples often ask how quickly they can getmarried in the Catholic Church. Due to theimportance of the different elements, it isrecommended that you allow at least ninemonths to complete all of your preparation.This is a reasonable timeframe to engage in theelements both practically and thoughtfully.As you anticipate the joy of your wedding andmarriage, we invite you to enter into this marriagepreparation process in the Catholic Church as anopportunity to grow individually and as a couplerather than as a checklist of things you “have todo”. Preparing for marriage is so important thatevery diocese has required elements.PRE-CANA REFERS TO PREPARINGFOR A MARRIAGE IN WHICHJESUS IS INVITEDTO THE WEDDING ANDINTO THE MARRIAGETHAT FOLLOWS.

1 PARISH CONNECTIONAs soon as you get engaged (and prior to makingany other wedding plans such as reserving thereception hall, caterer, etc.) please contact yourparish. If you are not actively engaged in a parishcommunity, contact the parish closest to theresidence of the bride or the groom.Your parish will welcome you and set up ameeting for you with the pastor, priest,or deacon. This will allow you: To get to know one another better, To review these elements of preparation, And to discuss the necessary paperworkrequired by the Church and by the State.The priest or deacon officiating at your weddingceremony is responsible for your preparation andwill journey with you throughout your preparation.He may delegate aspects to others however youshould continuously be checking in with himregarding your experiences and completion ofthese elements.PRIEST OFFICIATINGPARISHPHONE NUMBERTHIS IS WHAT MARRIAGE IS ALL ABOUT:MAN AND WOMANWALKING TOGETHER,WHEREIN THE HUSBAND HELPS HIS WIFE TOBECOME EVER MORE A WOMAN, ANDTHE WOMAN HAS THE TASK OF HELPINGHER HUSBAND TO BECOME EVER MORE A MAN.MEETING DATES AND TIMES— Pope Francis —

2 MARRIAGE FORMATIONYour pastor or his delegate will guide you through these elementsand meet with you in between to discuss your experiences.Fully Engaged Inventory & DiscussionFully Engaged is an inventory designed to help youidentify and discuss your expectations for your futuretogether in a number of areas (children, careers, roles,faith, finances, etc.). You will take the inventory atthe parish when you first meet with the pastor, priest,or deacon. Afterward, you will meet with a trainedfacilitator (priest, deacon, or married mentor couple)at least three times to discuss your answers andexpectations with each other.For more information, please visit:www.MiamiArch.org/FullyEngagedMarriage Preparation Group Program(either Transformed in Love or Camino)These are group programs, led by teams ofmarried couples and clergy, that cover topicssuch as self-knowledge, communication,expectations, finances, Sacramental Marriage,marital sexuality, marital spirituality, etc. Thepriest or deacon overseeing your preparationwill recommend one of the above for you.After you attend the group program you willwant to follow up with the pastor, priest ordeacon overseeing your marriage preparationprocess to present your certificate and discussyour experience together.To register for the group program recommendedby your priest or deacon, please visit:www.MiamiArch.org/MarriagePrepNatural Family Planning ClassNatural Family Planning (NFP) is the generaltitle for scientific, natural, and moral methodsof family planning that can help marriedcouples either achieve or postpone pregnancieswith just reasons. Since the methods of NFPrespect the love-giving (unitive) and lifegiving (procreative) nature of the conjugal act,they support God’s design for married love.The Marriage Preparation Group Program willintroduce you to what NFP is and why the Churchsupports it. These classes will teach you signs torecognize your own fertility. You can choose alive in-person class, a live online class, or a selfpaced online class. Depending upon the methodyou choose, it will take 3-6 months to completethis element of your preparation.To register, please visit:www.MiamiArch.org/NFP

3 FAITH FORMATIONWe invite you to actively participate in a parish,attend Sunday Mass, and to make the sacramentsand the Christian faith a foundation of yourfuture together. Experience reveals, and researchconfirms, that “the rate of satisfaction in marriageis higher for husbands and wives when bothregularly maintain religious attendance and feelthat God is the center of their marriage.”1If you are Catholic and have not received yourFirst Holy Communion, the priest overseeing yourpreparation will speak with you about this andprovide options for you to be able to receivethis sacrament.If you are Catholic and not yet Confirmed, then itis best to talk with your priest so you can start toget involved in a parish RCIA program (that youmay begin but may not be completed until afteryour wedding date). The lack of the Sacrament ofConfirmation is not an impediment to marriage.The Sacrament of Reconciliation is alsorecommended prior to your wedding. Your pastorwill discuss options for receiving this sacrament.Remember that there is no sin that God is noteager to forgive. Participation in this sacramentcan become a significant moment of grace inyour preparation to receive the Sacrament ofMatrimony fruitfully.1 www.ForYourMarriage.org/factsfigures/ as accessed on September 1, 2016.See also W. Bradford Wilcox, University of Virginia National Marriage Project,The State of Our Unions: Marriage in America 2011 (December, 2011), no. 31f.THE EUCHARISTI N E XH A U S T I B LYSTRENGTHENSTHE INDISSOLUBLE UNITYAND LOVE OF EVERYCHRISTIAN MARRIAGE.— Pope Benedict XVI —

4 LITURGICAL FORMATIONWhen you have completed the other elements of yourpreparation, the pastor will review your experiencewith you and complete all the correct paperworkfor the Church and the State. Having completed theelements, he will also discuss your readiness to enterinto marriage and will confirm the date and details.The various elements of your preparation thus farwill have provided you with a greater understandingof the promises you will make to one another inthe Celebration of Matrimony. You will also learnthe options you have for making your Celebrationof Matrimony unique to you as a couple (such as thereadings and music you have, the people you haveinvolved, etc.). If you have not already done so, thiswill be the time to thoughtfully and prayerfullyprepare for the actual liturgical celebration.5 MARRIAGE ENRICHMENTWe encourage you to also be intentional in constantlyenriching your relationship after your wedding day.Investing in your marital relationship is extremelyimportant and should not end at your wedding.Please continue to be active members of your parishby attending Sunday Mass and participating in thesacraments and parish life. Check your parishbulletin and the Archdiocesan website for a varietyof marriage enrichment opportunities.For more resources, please FAILS— 1 Corinthians 13:8 —