Every year couples in parishes all over the diocese book their weddings and look for some form of preparation for their lives as married people. Many of them find support and preparation from their parish priest.

However, in many parishes and deaneries we now have trained lay people who work with their parish priest to support these couples by running a few evenings or days of marriage preparation. They use the Diocesan Marriage preparation Programme (go to Marriage/Preparation Programme overview for details of this).

Most trained Marriage Preparation Presenters run at least one, and maybe two, marriage preparation course for couples each year in their parish or deanery. They work in pairs or teams and so are never solely responsible for presenting the programme.

As you will see if you go to Marriage/Preparation Programme overview, the programme is designed to get couples to focus on each other. We do not look at the wedding day, that is something they must organise with the parish priest. We offer them lots of exercises and some games to get them thinking in real terms about the practicalities of living their married life. The hope is that we increase their understanding of each other and deepen their love and initmacy.

All the Marriage Preparation Presenters do is to facilitiate this deeper exploration for the couple. Some things are meant to be done at home. There is some light group discussion but most of the programme is designed to get the couple to look at each other and think about what the commitment of marriage really means.

Married couples who present this programme time after time say that they as a couple are refreshed by it each time and find out more about each other. So, don't worry if the couple have been living together for some time or have children - there's probably still more to learn about each other!

If this sounds like the kind of thing you would like to do in your parish then talk to your parish priest and get in touch.

Every year I offer free training in (and a free copy of ) the Diocesan Marriage Preparation Programme to those who want to do this work. If you are interested, I would try to find a marriage preparation course that you could sit in as an observer so that you can see what's involved (although every group is different and every Marriage Preparation Presenter will have different skills and approaches).

The next training will be in 2008, to give you plenty of time to find out more and sit in on an existing course.

So, think about it, look at the overview on this website, talk to your parish priest, pray about it and get in touch if you want to talk about it!