Marriage Preparation

  Congratulations on your engagement! We would like to help make your wedding day a beautiful and joyful event. Even more importantly we want your marriage to be a lifelong, joy-filled relationship that will make your love grow stronger and deeper as you grow older together. This is why we have put together 5 steps to help you build up your relationship to be a beautiful and joyful example of marriage to others.

5 Steps to a joyful marriage preparation experience 

1. Wedding Inquiry (At least 6 months before your wedding) The first step is to make contact with our office to inquire about possible wedding dates and to speak with our pastor. He will determine if you and your fiancé(e) are free to marry. 

Call our Ministry Center at 419-692-4050 or email Ann at [email protected]

2. Engaged Couple Retreat (Joy Filled Marriage Workshop)  Many couples find this part to be the most helpful piece to growing their relationship and in helping them build a strong foundation to start their married life together. 

This is a full 2-day weekend workshop. We understand how hard it can be to find two days in your schedules as an engaged couple, but we also see how important it is for you to have a strong joy-filled marriage. This workshop has been presented and improved over the last few years in our diocese and across the country by trained lead couples and receives very positive reviews from the many engaged couples who've experienced it. We believe you to will find many helpful tools and find this a fun experience.  The Joy Filled Marriage weekends are available on many different dates throughout our diocese. 

The closest locations are Delphos (in March), and Lima (February). To see available dates, visit Toledo Diocese Marriage Preparation.

There are also options to attend this in the Cincinnati and Columbus Diocese

3. Natural Family Planning Instruction To ensure you have the tools to plan your family effectively and in accord with God’s plan for marriage, you will ask to complete a series of Fertility Awareness classes.

4. Reconciliation The Church invites all Catholics to prepare themselves spiritually prior to their marriage by celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 

If it has been a while since your last confession, simply make that known to the priest and he will gently walk you through the sacrament. Even if you are not Catholic, you still may benefit from meeting with a priest for spiritual direction. The regular practice of the sacrament of reconciliation helps keep marriages healthy and strong.

5. Final Meeting with your deacon or priest

Wedding Planning 

Checklist

Wedding Guidelines 2022-23