To access the Marriage Preparation Guidelines for the Archdiocese of New Orleans please click here.

For couples contemplating marriage in the Church, where neither party has been married before.

A one-day seminar which offers engaged couples the opportunity to spend some time in thought, conversation, writing and prayer in the company of other couples who also contemplate marriage in the Church. The couple is given the opportunity to reflect on their relationship and their future together.

Topics include expectations of marriage, communication, sex and sexuality, decision-making, Natural Family Planning, and Sacramental Marriage. The seminars are presented by married couples.

The program is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. - to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

CRITERIA: Engaged couple, neither previously married. Catholic in origin and orientation; however, it is open to couples of all faiths who wish to deepen their relationship. Couples should attend at least five months before their marriage.

The cost for the Day for the Engaged is $100.00 per couple. For more information and registration contact Family Life Apostolate, 861-6243.
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For couples contemplating marriage in the Church, where neither partner has been married before.

A weekend retreat experience for the couple. It introduces basic communication skills needed to form and maintain good Christian marriages. It begins on Friday evening and concludes on Sunday afternoon following lunch. All meals are provided. Participants are housed in dormitories.

The retreat is presented by two married couples and a priest. The engaged couple has an opportunity to write to one another and share verbally what they have written. There is some group interaction; however, the majority of the program consists of private dialogues between the engaged couple.

CRITERIA: Engaged couple. For more information call Family Life Apostolate 504-861-6243.

The cost of the weekend is $290.00 per couple. For more information on Engaged Encounter visit the New Orleans Catholic Engaged Encounter web site www.nocee.org or for their registration form click here www.nocee.org/NOCEE-Register.doc
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For couples seeking remarriage in the Church, where at least one or both of the parties have been previously married to someone else. Please note that the term "previously married" applies even if the first marriage was outside the Church. Couples whose annulments are pending may attend this program; however, attendance does not give rise to a right to marry in the Church in such instances.

Presented by married couples who are themselves in second marriage situations. Topics which relate to the unique characteristics of a second marriage are covered: the former spouse, step-family structure, step-parenting, family background, handling conflict, sexual love, money management, alimony and/or child support and its impact on a second marriage, and sacramental love.

The program takes place in several formats: over three evenings, on two weekend afternoons, or Friday night and Sunday afternoon.

CRITERIA: Couples where one or both parties have been previously married to someone else. The previous marriage(s) may have been terminated by death, or divorce and Church Annulment.

The cost for the Remarriage Preparation Program is $100.00 per couple. For more information and registration contact Family Life Apostolate, 861-6243.
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For couples seeking validation of their civil marriages, couples with relationships of at least two years, or couples living together with children.

This program makes use of the RE-FOCCUS Marriage Enrichment tool to help couples explore their likes and differences in a constructive way. Topics include Marriage as a Process, Intimacy, Compatibility, Communication, Commitment, Forgiveness, and Sacramental Marriage. The program is facilitated by a married couple. There is private dialogue between the couple and some small group sharing.

The program is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. - to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday.

CRITERIA: Couples who are presently married civilly, (not within the Church) or those in a long-term relationship.

The cost for the Special Marriage Preparation Program is $100.00. For more information and registration contact Family Life Apostolate, 861-6243.
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F.L.A. offers training seminars to married couples who aspire to present parish-based marriage preparation programs such as Evenings for the Engaged. The training session consists of a two evening workshop offered in the parish.

The program for engaged couples consists of a six-session format which takes place in presentors' homes with one more engaged couples participating. Themes include: communication, marriage in God's way, sex in a love relationship, living the Sacrament of Matrimony. Sessions are designed to include brief presentations by the married couple, quiet written exercises, sharing with one's partner, and sharing exercises to be done outside the sessions.

CRITERIA: Engaged couples seeking to marry for the first time.

For program books and/or training please contact Family Life Apostolate, 861-6243.
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F.L.A. offers training seminars to married couples who aspire to present parish-based marriage preparation programs such as the Sponsor Couple Program. The training session consists of a two evening workshop offered in the parish.

This is a couple-to-couple approach to marriage preparation. Sponsor couples for marriage are similar to sponsors for RCIA, Baptism, and Confirmation. A married couple becomes the sponsor for an engaged couple. Together the couples go through the steps of this program. It is a way for the Pastor to share some of the work of marriage preparation with others in the parish, and it brings the added dimension of couple sharing.

For program books and/or training contact Family Life Apostolate, 861-6243.
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The completion of Pre-Marital Inventories, such as FOCCUS, is a required element of marriage preparation in the Catholic dioceses of Louisiana.

The Family Life Apostolate serves the Archdiocese of New Orleans in this regard by:

• Training parish leaders to assist their priests in the use of FOCCUS.
• Supplying parishes with FOCCUS materials including question booklets, answer sheets, and facilitator manuals.
• Computer scoring of FOCCUS instruments. Turn around time is 24 hours. (Instruments are also available in Spanish, braille and on audio cassette.)

For program materials and/or training please contact Family Life, 861-6243.
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