1. MARRIAGE PREPARATION “That is why a man leaves
his father and mother and clings
to his wife, and
the two of them become one body.”
Genesis 2:24
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All rights reserved

2. Mission Statement:
CatholicMarriagePrep.com, a division of AgapèCatholicMinistries.com, is dedicated to the building of strong Christ-centered Catholic marriages.
As God is the source and foundation of any marriage, the preparation becomes foremost a spiritual journey and a window for conversion.
The Foundation:
The Catholic Marriage Prep program is deeply rooted in Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and the teachings of the Catholic Church (Catechism of the Catholic Church, encyclicals, and apostolic letters). 2

3. How does it Work?
The course covers the theological and sacramental aspects of Catholic marriage and sexuality. It also expands on the life-skills a couple will need throughout their marriage. Taught online with the one-on-one mentoring of a trained and certified instructor couple.
$170 per couple.
Note: the course covers the theology behind NFP and explains why
contraception is a sin. It does NOT include the actual NFP training.

4. How does it work? The couple registers on the website.
They receive a username and password to access
their personal profile with the link to their first worksheet.
3. They log-in to fill and submit their first worksheet.
4. Their personal instructors retrieve it, review, and complete the answers
with the teachings of the Church.
5. The instructors then upload the couple’s personal Answer-Key onto their
profile, with the link to their next worksheet, and advise them when it is
posted.
6. The couple can share their username and password with their priest or
deacon to give them access to their work throughout their journey.

5. How does it Work? The online course consists of seven
worksheets in all.
They are designed to provoke deep
thought and discussions.
They challenge each couple to answer in
depth and in writing.
When couples are separated by distance, they share their answers to
the worksheets either by phone or via the Internet (Skype, , instant
messages) before submitting their common work.
The course can be completed at the couple’s own pace, within two
weeks (very intense) to three months maximum. It involves an average
of 20 hours of work. Most couples complete the course within 3 to 6
weeks.

6. How does it Work? The couple can submit their worksheets at any time.
Their instructors will upload their personal answer-key within
24 hours to a maximum of three business days.
Couples can contact their instructors with their personal
questions at any time.

7. How does it Work? TEACHING STYLE:
The course is not designed to be taught in the traditional lecture style,
but rather to make the couples think first, and try to find their own
answers to the questions.
This heuristic process allows
the couples to stay engaged in
the subject being discussed and
helps them “own” the knowledge
that is being passed on.

8. Who are the Instructors?
Instructors are faithful Catholic married couples in good standing
with the Church, who have been married a minimum of five years.
They have received intensive training with CatholicMarriagePrep.com

9. Worksheet One Overview
In the Beginning… Genesis:
God's original plan for humanity, man, and woman,
the origin of marriage and how sin distorted it.
In both creation accounts we will understand the TRUE vocation of
humanity, the TRUE vocation of man, and the TRUE vocation of woman,
laying the foundation for a strong marriage and family life.
“The wise man builds his house upon a rock” Matthew 7:24

10. Worksheet One Overview
We will also define sin, how it distorted man and woman's relationship, and why it separated them from God. Some questions from the first worksheet: Why did God not want them to eat the fruit? What are the first consequences of sin? Is there any hope for redemption?

11. 11

12. Worksheet Two Overview
The Sacrament of Matrimony: After defining a covenant and a short review of the seven sacraments of the Church, we will reflect on what it means to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony and its powerful and efficient Grace. We will use the Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraphs 1601 – 1666), to discuss the requirements of a valid sacrament and what a couple is consenting to. We will also listen to St. Paul in the Letter to the Ephesians, as he gives us clues about the love and respect connection to enhance our communication.

13. 13

14. Worksheets Three and Four Overview
These worksheets are based on audio teachings by Professor Janet Smith, consultor to the Pontifical Council on the Family.
CDs are available at
Worksheet Three: Formation of Conscience.
Worksheet Four: Contraception Why Not, to grasp the Church’s
position on contraception.

15. Worksheet Five Overview
The Rite of Marriage in detail:
We will analyze in detail each sentence of the vows.
Freely and Without Reservation
To Give Yourselves to Each Other
For the Rest of Your Lives
Will You Accept Children
I Take You

16. Worksheet Five Overview
The Rite will bring us to discuss cohabitation, sex before marriage,
and the true meaning of sex in marriage, as well as contraception, abortion,
Reproductive technologies, families of origin, parenting…
Couples will need to discuss these core topics:
Abstinence
Natural Family Planning
They will learn that being a faithful
Catholic couple requires them
to be counter-cultural.
Older couples who cannot have children will work on how their marriage
can be fruitful in a different way.

17. 17

18. Worksheet Six Overview
Forgiveness and Freedom: Forgiveness plays a vital role in marriage. We will understand how important it is, and rediscover the value of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Your body is a Temple: We will also learn that we owe immense respect to our bodies, as they are the Temple of the Holy Spirit and a window to our souls. We will look at how to safe-guard ourselves against the silent killers of families, such as pornography and other sins of the flesh.

19. Worksheet Seven Overview
RELATIONSHIP TOOLS
Expectations: Each couple will reflect on these questions: - What do we expect from marriage? - What is going to keep our marriage strong for the rest of our lives?
Potential Problems:
Couples will unmask the myths behind
marriage, and bring expectations in line
with reality. They will create a list of potential
problems in their relationship, and the
reasons behind them, as well as solutions.

20. Worksheet Seven Overview
Communication skills: 1. Couples will be taught introductory skills for more efficient, non-blaming communication, such as active listening, and I-Messages. 2. They will also learn techniques to deal with emotions during conflict resolution. 3. Finally, they will receive tips on how to clearly express the needs of each individual in the family. Prayer: Couples are given insight into what prayer is. Their instructors will help them understand the importance of daily prayer in Marriage, with tips on how to get started.

21. “For a family that prays together is a family that stays together.”
Father Peyton, Mother Teresa 21

22. Feedback Form
The last assignment is a short feedback form allowing the couple to express their thoughts on the course. This feedback can be shared with their priest or deacon.

23. Certificate of Completion
After the couple has submitted their feedback form, they will be sent a certificate of completion, which will be uploaded onto their profile to be saved, ed, or printed.

24. Agapè CMP’s 2013 NUMBERS
Answers from the couples who completed the online
Agapè CMP marriage prep course in 2013.
Abstinence: Yes or Maybe = 98.0% NFP: Yes or Maybe = 94.0%
(Yes: 77.0%, Maybe: 21.0%, No: 2.0%) (Yes: 65.0%, Maybe: 29.0%, No: 6.0%)  

25. Happy feedbacks
“We were so impressed by the way our instructors took the time to write such detailed and informative answers. We were afraid that going the online route would be impersonal and that we wouldn‘t get much out of it, but we were so surprised to see how much we got out of it and how open and honest and informative our instructors were. We also greatly appreciated their effort in providing timely responses. They added a great personal touch to the course that really helped us feel comfortable with the material and them as our instructors.” Andy and Natalie

26. Happy feedbacks
This class brought up things that we may otherwise not have discussed. Assumption is not something that strong marriages are built on. Talking about God, our family, sex, expectations, feelings, finances, etc. through this class was an impetus for us to keep talking! We learned about ourselves and each other. The communication that it elicited is such awesome preparation for a communication-filled, open marriage. We feel closer to each other (though we didn't think it was possible!) than we had before the class. Frederick and Meaghan

27. Follow-up
Couples who would like to stay in touch after the course can sign-up for our quarterly Enewsletter. It offers tips and advice on how to deal with day to day situations, whether it’s parenting, marriage, finances, or faith, it’s all there, and more.
It also shares new documents from the Church on Family Life and
reviews different resources.
CMP’s Facebook page is also updated daily with great resources.

28. Online Classes
Fidelity Green Light Award for Excellence in Catholic Fidelity from CatholicCulture.org