Diocesan Marriage Formation Process
Proceso diocesano de formacion para el matrimonio

“The Eucharist is the very source of Christian marriage. The Eucharistic Sacrifice, in fact, represents Christ's covenant of love with the Church, sealed with His blood on the Cross. In this sacrifice of the New and Eternal  Covenant, Christian spouses encounter the source from which their own marriage covenant flows, is interiorly structured and continuously renewed. As a representation of Christ's sacrifice of love for the Church, the Eucharist is a fountain of charity. In the Eucharistic gift of charity, the Christian family finds the foundation and soul of its "communion" and its "mission": by partaking in the Eucharistic bread, the different members of the Christian family become one body, which reveals and shares in the wider unity of the Church. Their sharing in the Body of Christ that is "given up" and in His Blood that is "shed" becomes a never-ending source of missionary and apostolic dynamism for the Christian family.” (Familiaris Consortio 57, St. Pope John Paul II).

MARRIAGE FORMATION: STEPS TO MARRIAGE PROCESS (IMPORTANT)

Step #1 - Contact your parish priest or deacon. At that first meeting you will:

• get to know one another.

• complete the paperwork required  [pre-nuptial form PDF here ]

• provide the information about when and where each of you was baptized.

• if both of you are free to marry, then you can set a wedding date and time.
                ---  If not, then you will learn about the next steps required to acquire freedom to marry before you set a wedding date. 

• The purpose of a premarital inventory is to help reveal the strengths and weaknesses in your relationship. Inventories are not "tests" you pass or fail. Inventories are not something you can prepare or study for. An inventory is simply a "snap-shot" of your relationship at the moment you take it. The value of a premarital inventory is not just in taking it, but in the conversations you will enter into after you take it and during the facilitated or review sessions that follow it. 
• FOCCUS available now on-line:  http://www.foccusinc.com/
   

• Joy-Filled Marriage Weekend- A marriage preparation weekend for engaged couples. The Joy-Filled Marriage is a comprehensive marriage preparation program rooted in virtues as well as the Theology of the Body.
• Introduction to Natural Family Planning (NFP). Several options to choose from in ENGLISH and SPANISH

• Meet with your parish priest, deacon or designated lay marriage preparation minister to plan the liturgy for your wedding ceremony.

• Marriage enrichment courses are offered throughout the year. Check at your parish and/or the Diocese of Kalamazoo website for updates or directly with the following:
  • Discovering Our Deepest Desire – and - Building Eucharistic Marriages (one at a time)
  • Witness to Love – Parish resource to help continue to build community among young married couples and mentor couples.