Catholic Community of
St. Joseph Adrian
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By choosing
to married in the Catholic Church, a couple is taking the first step to
making their relationship open to the grace of God in a special way, and
allowing their lives to be a sacrament. This sacrament (the
couple’s married life) as is the case with
all sacraments of the church, is an “outward
sign” of the presence of God’s Spirit and
grace dwelling within our world and lives today. Therefore, as a
sacrament, a couple’s marriage is to be a
living sign and reminder of God’s goodness,
faithfulness, mercy and love for all of us.
As a couple prepares themselves to assume the
responsibility of living the sacrament of marriage, the church offers
many resources to aid them. However, the primary responsibility for
being prepared and ready married life lies with the couple themselves.
This includes not only the daily aspects of married life, but also the
couple preparing themselves “spiritually” for
this sacrament.
When anyone expresses a desire to receive one of the sacraments of the Church, they must prepare themselves not only intellectually, but also spiritually for that sacred gift. In general this preparation takes one school year (8 months) for the sacraments of Eucharist, Reconciliation, and Confirmation. It takes seven years of preparation for Holy Orders (priesthood) and 9 months for the sacrament of marriage. Common to the preparation for all of these sacraments is the need to reflect on one’s relationship with God and the church, the spiritual meaning (benefits and personal responsibility) of that sacrament, and how God is personally involved in one’s life. There are many ways of doing this, but the basics of “spiritual preparation” involve:
- Maintaining a daily prayer life.
- Attending Mass every weekend.
- Receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly.
- Participation in the life and work of the parish and larger Church.
The marriage preparation program itself consists
of the following:
- Meetings with the pastor (approximately 3)
- FOCCUS test / Personal Faith Review
- Meetings with FOCCUS Couple (approximately 3)
- Marriage For Life Seminar (One day seminar)
- Foundations of the Faith Sessions (3 evening classes)
- Meeting with the Parish Director of Music
- Liturgy Planning Meeting with the Pastor
For further information about the Marriage Preparation Program in our parish please call Fr. David Hudgins at (517) 265-8938 or email him at office@stjosephadrian.com.
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building to gather in...a spirituality to grow in
© 2000 | St. Joseph Catholic Church| Adrian, MI, 49221