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Getting Started Her Workbook His Workbook
Getting Started This packet includes your materials for the Catholic Marriage Prep Class These pages are provided to help you understand the marriage preparation process and plan for your wedding day. Bring these pages to your follow up meeting with your priest or deacon. • Table of Contents: Video presentations and supplemental materials included in the course. • Ceremony Planning: This guide is provided as a tool to help you plan for your ceremony. • Her Notes and Questions: As you work through the course, write down any questions you have for your priest or deacon. • His Notes and Questions: As you work through the course, write down any questions you have for your priest or deacon. Her Workbook This workbook is intended to facilitate meaningful discussions with your fiancé. • Cover Page: This page describes the purpose of the workbook. • Topics Pages: Complete these pages alone, then share with your fiancé. • Next Steps: This page explains what to do once you complete the PreCana program. • Love Letter: Share your feelings about your fiancé in the form of a love letter. His Workbook This workbook is intended to facilitate meaningful discussions with your fiancée. • Cover Page: This page describes the purpose of the workbook. • Topics Pages: Complete these pages alone, then share with your fiancé. • Next Steps: This page explains what to do once you complete the PreCana program. • Love Letter: Share your feelings about your fiancé in the form of a love letter. www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Table of Contents Video presentations and supplemental materials included with the Catholic Marriage Prep Class. Required 1. Spirituality of Marriage 2. Family of Origin 3. Communication 4. Conflict Management 5. Marriage as a Sacrament 6. Healthy Sexuality and Intimacy 7. Natural Family Planning 8. Children 9. Theology of the Body 10.Finances 11.Couple Prayer Optional 1. Ceremony Planning 2. Unique Challenges of Military Couples 2. Cohabitation 3. Forming a Stepfamily 4. Children of Divorce 5. Interfaith and Interchurch Marriages 6. Second Marriages Supplemental 1. eBook: Living Together and Christian Commitment 2. eBook: Marriage & Money 3. Catholic Couple Checkup - Premarital Inventory www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Ceremony Planning Complete this helpful guide with the help of your priest, deacon, or wedding coordinator. Bride and Groom: ____________________________________________________________________ Date: _______________ Time: ______________ Church: _________________________________ Presider: ________________________________ Rehearsal Date/Time: _____________________ Maid (Matron) of Honor: ___________________ Best Man: _______________________________ Bridesmaids: Groomsmen: _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ _________________________________________ Flower Girl: ______________________________ Ring Bearer: _____________________________ Ushers: _________________________________ _________________________________________ Organist, singer, musicians: (Discuss your plans with your parish before making a commitment.) _________________________________________ _________________________________________ Number of altar servers needed: _____ Type of service: ___ Eucharistic ___ Non-Eucharistic Order of Service Processional hymn: _______________________ * Presentation hymn Old Testament reading: ___________________ * Preface and Eucharistic Prayer To be read by: ___________________________ Our Father spoken or sung: ________________ Responsorial song read/sung by: __________ Nuptial Blessing New Testament reading: __________________ Sign of Peace To be read by: ___________________________ * Communion Gospel: _________________________________ * Communion hymn: ______________________ Exchange of Consent and Wedding Vows Concluding Rite: Final Blessing Blessing of Rings Recessional Prayer of the Faithful * Indicates parts of the Eucharistic Liturgy only hymn: ____________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Notes and Questions er s H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets As you work through the course, write down any questions you have for your priest or deacon _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Notes and Questions i s H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets As you work through the course, write down any questions you have for your priest or deacon _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 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_____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 er 1 s H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets For Her After viewing each video segment of the online course, you should complete the page related to that topic within this workbook. Discuss your answers with your fiancé when he has also completed the related video and worksheet. As you are viewing the video segments and completing the related worksheets, you should write down any questions that you will have for your priest or deacon on the Notes and Questions page included in this packet. This workbook is intended to facilitate meaningful discussions with your fiancé. What to bring to your follow up meeting with your priest or deacon: • The Ceremony Planning guide • The Notes and Questions page • The Certificate of Completion (provided after completing the online course) • The Catholic Couple Checkup report www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Spirituality of Marriage er 2 s H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancé. It can seem difficult, even impossible, to bind oneself for life to another human being. This makes it all the more important to proclaim the Good News that God loves us with a definitive and irrevocable love, that married couples share in this love, that it supports and sustains them, and that by their faithfulness they can be witnesses to God’s faithful love. — Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1069 1. How did you decide that your fiancé was the person you wanted to marry and be with for the rest of your life? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How have you changed and grown since the start of your relationship? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. How has your relationship affected or changed others? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Why does Dr. Healy say there is no noun of Christian marrying, it is the verb of Christian marrying? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Describe the dying and rising that has occurred in your relationship so far. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 6. How do you see God’s hand guiding you toward marriage? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Family of Origin er 3 s H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancé. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. — Ephesians 5:31 1. These are the people that make up my family of origin: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How close or distant is my family? Are they flexible or inflexible? Give examples. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. What do I like about my family of origin that I want to bring into my married life? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. What do I want to leave behind from my family of origin? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. How did my family celebrate birthdays and holidays? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Tom Donahoo shared stories to explain the differences between his wife’s family and his own. Which stories would help your fiancé understand your family? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Communication er 4 s H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancé. Everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. — James 1:19 When men and women seek to understand the God-created differences in the ways they communicate, they can achieve more marital harmony. Careful listening can help each partner to feel heard. There are four steps to effective communication: • Reflection: Consider what has happened and how to share with your partner. • Self-disclosure: Be willing to reveal more about your true nature. • Active empathetic listening: Listen with your full attention and try to understand how he feels. • Gained insights: Learn more about yourself and your partner and find positive ways to work out disagreements. 1. Which of the four steps do I need to improve on? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What would my fiancé say I need to improve on? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. What can we do as couple to improve our communication? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Alicia and Jose Arturo find their communication improves when they find time for fun as a couple. What can we do together in the next week that would be fun and strengthen our connection? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Conflict Management er Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancé. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. — Colossians 3:13 1. What was the topic of our last disagreement? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Was it resolved to our mutual satisfaction? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Tim O’Donohue avoided conflict in the first years of his marriage to Jenny. Why was this a bad idea? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Are there any issues currently in our relationship in need of forgiveness? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Steps to forgiveness: • • • • • 5 s H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Admit wrong Apologize Ask for forgiveness Grant forgiveness Commit to change 5. Which of the steps to forgiveness is the most difficult for me? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Marriage as a Sacrament er 6 s H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancé. But you are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises’ of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were ‘no people’ but now you are God’s chosen people. — 1 Peter 2: 9-10 1. What are the signs that make me think that God wants me to spend the rest of my life with my fiancé together in marriage? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What does it mean to me to marry in the Church? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Father Cameli says God will make all the difference in my marriage and make it more than the sum of the two of us. What does he mean by this? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. How are others part of our relationship? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. How can we be true to the sacrament of matrimony and share our love? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Healthy Sexuality and Intimacy er 7 s H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancé. Let us turn to the Lord and pray that he will bless with grace this woman now married in Christ to this man and that he will unite in love the couples he has joined in his holy bond. — Nuptial Blessing 1. In what ways has my own history and experience shaped my attitude toward sex? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How do we show affection to each other? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. How comfortable am I talking about my needs for intimacy and physical closeness? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Once we are married, how can we keep romance and excitement in our lives? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. The Sugrues suggest that we take time to talk about what we like about each other and what worries we may have about our future sexual relationship. What are some thoughts or concerns I may have in this area? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Natural Family Planning er 8 s H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancé. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you. — Jeremiah 1:5 If you would like to learn more about Natural Family Planning beyond this marriage prep class, please visit www.learnNFPonline.com. Tessa and Jelani McEwen, who share their story in this segment, are the same instructors teaching that course. 1. I understand that Natural Family Planning is a scientific method of managing fertility that follows Catholic teaching. Will NFP be part of our marriage? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. When would I like to have my first child? Why? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. In the video, Tessa shared her fears about sex as she and Jelani were preparing for marriage. What fears do I have as we prepare for our marriage? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Jelani says that using NFP brings them closer as husband and wife. What can we do to bring our relationship closer? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Catholic teaching encourages the use of NFP because it does not separate the love-giving and life-giving nature of marriage. Is this something I need more information about? (You may add this to your page of notes and questions for your priest or deacon.) _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 er 9 s H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Children Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancé. I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. — 1 Samuel 1:27 1. When I hear people say “Children are a gift of the Lord,” I think: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How many children would I like to have? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. If we are unable to have children of our own, I will: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. I think children will change our relationship in these ways: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. I believe my greatest strength as a parent will be: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 6. I believe my fiancé’s greatest strength as a parent will be: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 7. How will we make God’s presence felt in our family life? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Theology of the Body 10 e rs H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancé. This is the body: a witness to creation as a fundamental gift, and therefore a witness to Love as the source from which this same giving springs. — Pope John Paul II 1. Theology of the Body says that our bodies can reveal the mystery of divine love in the world. Have I ever thought of love in this way? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How do I see God in my fiancé? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Pope John Paul II said that fear and shame entered into the human condition when Adam and Eve sinned and we were then closed off from God. How do we close ourselves off from each other? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. How can we bring God to the center of our lives? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Craig and Amy felt that they grew into a deeper understanding of their faith by studying the Theology of the Body. Is this something we would like to learn more about? (You may add this to your page of notes and questions for your priest or deacon.) _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 11 e rs H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Finances Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancé. The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. — Proverbs 22:7 Many couples struggle with finances. Bonnie Scully’s complete financial eBook, Marriage and Money, is included with this class. Download it and work through it together to learn more about managing finances as a married couple. 1. Am I concerned about the way I manage money? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Am I concerned about the way my fiancé manages money? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Have I openly shared my financial situation with my fiancé? If not, what is holding me back? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Bonnie recommends against the use of credit cards. Is this an option for us? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Will we be able to live on 50% of what we make? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Stewardship means that all we have is a gift from God and that it is important to share our gifts, our time, our talent, and our treasure. How will we practice stewardship? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 12 e rs H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Next Steps What to do after completing the course Congratulations! You have completed the “Catholic Marriage Prep Class” online Pre-Cana. What do we do now? Now that you and your fiancé have watched all of the videos, completed the corresponding online quizzes, and completed the discussion worksheets together, you are encouraged to meet with your priest or deacon for a follow up meeting. Your follow up meeting with your priest or deacon is the perfect time to review the Catholic Couple Checkup report and discuss any questions or concerns you may have about your marriage preparation or upcoming wedding. What to bring to your follow up meeting with your priest or deacon: • The Ceremony Planning guide • The Notes and Questions page • The Certificate of Completion (provided after completing the online course) • The Catholic Couple Checkup report Downloading your Certificate of Completion: 1. Log in to your account and go to “Dashboard” which is located in the top navigation. 2. Click on “Completed Courses” 3. Click on “Catholic Marriage Prep Class” 4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and locate the certificate element, then click “Download Certificate.” Print it to bring to your follow up meeting. Questions? Feel free to contact us at anytime. Our phone numbers are listed below. www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 s H Love Letter er In the 1800s, courtship letters were a common way to win someone’s affection and to express your own. Sadly, letter writing has become less popular with the dawn of technology, but your engagement is the perfect time to bring it back in style. Use this page to write a love letter to your fiancé. If you are not sure what to say, start with something like, “My prayer for you is…” or “The greatest gift you bring to our relationship is…” or “My relationship to you has changed me in this way…” Take your time writing this! Save the letters and revisit them at a later time that has significance to you; perhaps on your first anniversary. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 i s 1 H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets For Him After viewing each video segment of the online course, you should complete the page related to that topic within this workbook. Discuss your answers with your fiancée when she has also completed the related video and worksheet. As you are viewing the video segments and completing the related worksheets, you should write down any questions that you will have for your priest or deacon on the Notes and Questions page included in this packet. This workbook is intended to facilitate meaningful discussions with your fiancée. What to bring to your follow up meeting with your priest or deacon: • The Ceremony Planning guide • The Notes and Questions page • The Certificate of Completion (provided after completing the online course) • The Catholic Couple Checkup report www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Spirituality of Marriage i s 2 H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancée. It can seem difficult, even impossible, to bind oneself for life to another human being. This makes it all the more important to proclaim the Good News that God loves us with a definitive and irrevocable love, that married couples share in this love, that it supports and sustains them, and that by their faithfulness they can be witnesses to God’s faithful love. — Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1069 1. How did you decide that your fiancée was the person you wanted to marry and be with for the rest of your life? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How have you changed and grown since the start of your relationship? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. How has your relationship affected or changed others? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Why does Dr. Healy say there is no noun of Christian marrying, it is the verb of Christian marrying? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Describe the dying and rising that has occurred in your relationship so far. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 6. How do you see God’s hand guiding you toward marriage? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Family of Origin i s 3 H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancée. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. — Ephesians 5:31 1. These are the people that make up my family of origin: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How close or distant is my family? Are they flexible or inflexible? Give examples. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. What do I like about my family of origin that I want to bring into my married life? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. What do I want to leave behind from my family of origin? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. How did my family celebrate birthdays and holidays? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Tom Donahoo shared stories to explain the differences between his wife’s family and his own. Which stories would help your fiancée understand your family? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Communication i s 4 H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancée. Everyone should be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. — James 1:19 When men and women seek to understand the God-created differences in the ways they communicate, they can achieve more marital harmony. Careful listening can help each partner to feel heard. There are four steps to effective communication: • Reflection: Consider what has happened and how to share with your partner. • Self-disclosure: Be willing to reveal more about your true nature. • Active empathetic listening: Listen with your full attention and try to understand how she feels. • Gained insights: Learn more about yourself and your partner and find positive ways to work out disagreements. 1. Which of the four steps do I need to improve on? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What would my fiancée say I need to improve on? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. What can we do as couple to improve our communication? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Alicia and Jose Arturo find their communication improves when they find time for fun as a couple. What can we do together in the next week that would be fun and strengthen our connection? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Conflict Management i s Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancée. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. — Colossians 3:13 1. What was the topic of our last disagreement? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Was it resolved to our mutual satisfaction? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Tim O’Donohue avoided conflict in the first years of his marriage to Jenny. Why was this a bad idea? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Are there any issues currently in our relationship in need of forgiveness? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ Steps to forgiveness: • • • • • 5 H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Admit wrong Apologize Ask for forgiveness Grant forgiveness Commit to change 5. Which of the steps to forgiveness is the most difficult for me? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Marriage as a Sacrament i s 6 H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancée. But you are ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises’ of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were ‘no people’ but now you are God’s chosen people. — 1 Peter 2: 9-10 1. What are the signs that make me think that God wants me to spend the rest of my life with my fiancée together in marriage? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. What does it mean to me to marry in the Church? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Father Cameli says God will make all the difference in my marriage and make it more than the sum of the two of us. What does he mean by this? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. How are others part of our relationship? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. How can we be true to the sacrament of matrimony and share our love? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Healthy Sexuality and Intimacy i s 7 H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancée. Let us turn to the Lord and pray that he will bless with grace this woman now married in Christ to this man and that he will unite in love the couples he has joined in his holy bond. — Nuptial Blessing 1. In what ways has my own history and experience shaped my attitude toward sex? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How do we show affection to each other? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. How comfortable am I talking about my needs for intimacy and physical closeness? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Once we are married, how can we keep romance and excitement in our lives? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. The Sugrues suggest that we take time to talk about what we like about each other and what worries we may have about our future sexual relationship. What are some thoughts or concerns I may have in this area? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Natural Family Planning i s 8 H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancée. Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you. — Jeremiah 1:5 If you would like to learn more about Natural Family Planning beyond this marriage prep class, please visit www.learnNFPonline.com. Tessa and Jelani McEwen, who share their story in this segment, are the same instructors teaching that course. 1. I understand that Natural Family Planning is a scientific method of managing fertility that follows Catholic teaching. Will NFP be part of our marriage? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. When would I like to have my first child? Why? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. In the video, Tessa shared her fears about sex as she and Jelani were preparing for marriage. What fears do I have as we prepare for our marriage? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Jelani says that using NFP brings them closer as husband and wife. What can we do to bring our relationship closer? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Catholic teaching encourages the use of NFP because it does not separate the love-giving and life-giving nature of marriage. Is this something I need more information about? (You may add this to your page of notes and questions for your priest or deacon.) _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 i s 9 H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Children Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancée. I prayed for this child, and the LORD granted my request. — 1 Samuel 1:27 1. When I hear people say “Children are a gift of the Lord,” I think: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How many children would I like to have? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. If we are unable to have children of our own, I will: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. I think children will change our relationship in these ways: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. I believe my greatest strength as a parent will be: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 6. I believe my fiancée’s greatest strength as a parent will be: _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 7. How will we make God’s presence felt in our family life? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 Theology of the Body s 10 i H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancée. This is the body: a witness to creation as a fundamental gift, and therefore a witness to Love as the source from which this same giving springs. — Pope John Paul II 1. Theology of the Body says that our bodies can reveal the mystery of divine love in the world. Have I ever thought of love in this way? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. How do I see God in my fiancée? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Pope John Paul II said that fear and shame entered into the human condition when Adam and Eve sinned and we were then closed off from God. How do we close ourselves off from each other? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. How can we bring God to the center of our lives? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Craig and Amy felt that they grew into a deeper understanding of their faith by studying the Theology of the Body. Is this something we would like to learn more about? (You may add this to your page of notes and questions for your priest or deacon.) _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 s 11 i H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Finances Complete this page alone, then share with your fiancée. The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender. — Proverbs 22:7 Many couples struggle with finances. Bonnie Scully’s complete financial eBook, Marriage and Money, is included with this class. Download it and work through it together to learn more about managing finances as a married couple. 1. Am I concerned about the way I manage money? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Am I concerned about the way my fiancée manages money? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 3. Have I openly shared my financial situation with my fiancée? If not, what is holding me back? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 4. Bonnie recommends against the use of credit cards. Is this an option for us? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 5. Will we be able to live on 50% of what we make? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ 6. Stewardship means that all we have is a gift from God and that it is important to share our gifts, our time, our talent, and our treasure. How will we practice stewardship? _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 s 12 i H Catholic Marriage Prep Class Worksheets Next Steps What to do after completing the course Congratulations! You have completed the “Catholic Marriage Prep Class” online Pre-Cana. What do we do now? Now that you and your fiancée have watched all of the videos, completed the corresponding online quizzes, and completed the discussion worksheets together, you are encouraged to meet with your priest or deacon for a follow up meeting. Your follow up meeting with your priest or deacon is the perfect time to review the Catholic Couple Checkup report and discuss any questions or concerns you may have about your marriage preparation or upcoming wedding. What to bring to your follow up meeting with your priest or deacon: • The Ceremony Planning guide • The Notes and Questions page • The Certificate of Completion (provided after completing the online course) • The Catholic Couple Checkup report Downloading your Certificate of Completion: 1. Log in to your account and go to “Dashboard” which is located in the top navigation. 2. Click on “Completed Courses” 3. Click on “Catholic Marriage Prep Class” 4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and locate the certificate element, then click “Download Certificate.” Print it to bring to your follow up meeting. Questions? Feel free to contact us at anytime. Our phone numbers are listed below. www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706 s H Love Letter i In the 1800s, courtship letters were a common way to win someone’s affection and to express your own. Sadly, letter writing has become less popular with the dawn of technology, but your engagement is the perfect time to bring it back in style. Use this page to write a love letter to your fiancée. If you are not sure what to say, start with something like, “My prayer for you is…” or “The greatest gift you bring to our relationship is…” or “My relationship to you has changed me in this way…” Take your time writing this! Save the letters and revisit them at a later time that has significance to you; perhaps on your first anniversary. _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ www.CatholicMarriagePrepClass.com +1.773.598.5706
