Since Marriage involves a lifelong covenantal commitment, effective preparation is important both in terms of understanding how to live out a relationship of self-sacrificial love as well as growing in deeper knowledge of yourself as well as your future spouse.
For your marriage preparation, you should plan for minimum six months before the anticipated wedding date. In addition, at least one of the couple should be a registered member of our parish.
The first step is attending one of our marriage information sessions. Below is the remaining schedule for 2024-2025. These sessions are on Tuesday at 7pm in the church. To RSVP for one of these sessions, please call the church office at 281-485-2421.
Preferred. Couples attend seven instructor led sessions designed to help couples build faith and spirituality in their relationship, develop an understanding of communication, family of origin, conscience development, intimacy building and family formation and establish ties with the Church community. Sessions are on Thursdays 7:30pm – 9pm usually January-February and also August-September, respectively. $75 fee includes workbooks.
Mentor couple preparation is available if you’re not able to commit to Unitas classes. You’ll meet as a couple with a dedicated married couple who will provide marriage preparation sessions in their homes. Times and dates can be coordinated with the mentor couple’s availability. A $75 fee includes a workbook.
The archdiocese provides several options that include some weekend options for those are looking for a compressed schedule.
Catholic Engaged Encounter is an overnight retreat that incorporates presentations, self-reflection, and couple’s dialogue. Catholic married couples share their experiences of living out the values of a sacramental marriage, supported by an ordained priest or deacon, and invite couples to have private one-on-one dialogues to learn about each other and the Sacrament of Matrimony. The experience offers engaged couples a unique opportunity to explore together five interrelated themes: The Family we grew up in, Sacramental Marriage, Communication, Intimacy, and Values.
Transformed in Love will help to explain what love is, and the wonder of the sacredness of marriage. It will prepare you for what to expect on your wedding day, and guide you in managing your family’s finances. It will help you understand who you are, and how to communicate effectively with your spouse. Transformed in Love will help to build and maintain an atmosphere of continuous spiritual growth for your family. These sessions will be held 8 am – 6 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Before the Vows is a comprehensive preparation program designed to equip you and your fiancé(e) with the practical and spiritual components that your married life will need. The program is comprised of three stages:
Agape Catholic Ministries Marriage Prep:(recommended for couples who are unable to meet in person, e.g. live in different cities) Agape Catholic Ministries provide a fully online primary marriage preparation program verified by our Archdiocese. The program is available in English, Spanish, and French, and it consists of one-on-one interaction with a specialized mentor couple following a series of 7 web and email conversations.