Marriage Preparation
All engaged couples who wish to be married in St. Anthony or St. Mary parishes participate in a marriage preparation process to learn about the Sacrament of Matrimony and to lay the foundation for a successful union. Please contact the parish office at least six months prior to the marriage date, although nine months to one year is preferred. A non-refundable deposit of $100 is needed to secure the date of your wedding ceremony.
Next steps after setting a date for the wedding ceremony include:
Each engaged couple will be required to participate in the following marriage preparation procedures:
- Archdiocesan Online Marriage Preparation Conference (Joy-Filled Marriage Program) or Archdiocesan 3-Day Weekend In-Person Retreat (covers same material but in-person)
- FOCCUS Inventory
- Theology of the Body
- Ongoing Diaconate/Priestly Guidance
Archdiocese of Milwaukee Online Marriage Preparation Conference
A key component of Marriage Preparation is building the skills necessary for a successful marriage, as well as learning about the Catholic Church's teachings on the Sacrament of Matrimony. To accomplish this, all engaged couples participate in the Joy-Filled Marriage program, which also includes specific formation in Natural Family Planning. Each engaged couple has one of two options to complete this portion of Marriage Preparation: -- Archdiocesan Online Marriage Preparation Conference known as the Joy-Filled Program or Archdiocesan 3-Day Weekend In-Person Retreat (at Schoenstatt Retreat Center)
FOCCUS – Facilitating Open Couple Communication Understanding and Study
FOCCUS is a self-diagnostic inventory designed to help couples learn more about themselves and their unique relationship. It is not a test, nor is it meant as a predictor of success or failure in a marriage. It is a tool to help couples name and work through issues before marriage. Couples will be assigned a FOCCUS Mentor Couple drawn from the parish. This mentor couple will act as a facilitator for the process of reading through the report of the FOCCUS Inventory.
Theology of the Body
Theology of the Body will help you to understand God's unique purpose for each of us as a human, person, body, and soul. It will also help each of us understand how you come together to formulate and understand the vocation of marriage. This required Theology of the Body informational session is offered through the Parish four times each year.