Friday Feedback 9 –
John and Melanie
What is your overall impression of this prep ?
John: I found this preparation extremely educational, first because I am not Catholic, but also because I never thought about marriage in the ways it prompted me to think about it. I think I have benefited a lot from what I have learned about marriage being a sacrament and a covenant, it has lent a completely new lens to the way I view the bond we are pledging to each other.
I was worried that it would be very judgmental or that I would do terribly at it. Instead, I have gained a lot from all of the positive feedback and I have also learned a lot about Melanie’s faith, which is great since it is the faith we will raise our kids in.
Melanie: This prep has helped me to reconnect with my Catholic faith in a way I did not expect, and has made me so excited and happy that John and I will be getting married in the Church.
I did not know what to expect from the prep, despite having attended Catholic school all of my life. I found myself each time looking forward to getting our feedback and reading through what our instructors had to say to us. It always inspired a lot of discussion and prayerful contemplation between John and I.
What did you appreciate most and why?
John: I most appreciated the exercises about the marriage vows and forgiveness, it means a lot to me to now understand what we will be saying to each other and what it means in the larger faith context.
Melanie: I most appreciated the forgiveness exercise because it produced such a productive conversation between John and I. The feedback form and exercises for the rite of marriage unit was also deeply inspiring and interesting, because it gave me knowledge that I didn’t know about the sacrament of marriage.
How did the course revive – or not – your faith?
John: It has made me more deeply appreciate Melanie’s faith and her family’s investment in it, because I know that we will raise our children in this faith, so now I feel that it is a little less mysterious to me and an aspect of our lives together that I can embrace.
Melanie: This course has helped reignite my faith in that it reminded me why I wanted to be married in the Catholic Church, and why it is so important for me to raise our future children in the faith I was brought up in.
Visit Agapè Catholic Ministries‘ to register for the Catholic Marriage Prep course. To learn more about the course, please visit https://www.catholicmarriageprep.com/course-info/courses-info