Serving Engaged Military Couples One-on-One
In our mission statement at CatholicMarriagePrep.com we say: “Agape Catholic Marriage Preparation invites couples to a deeper relationship with each other and with Christ, one couple at a time. Online, on-demand instruction rooted in Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body, combined with personalized mentoring from a trained married couple, builds a foundation for a strong, healthy, Christ-centered marriage between a man and a woman.” Who does that best serve? From the very inception of CatholicMarriagePrep.com serving military couples has always been on our hearts, even offering a military discount.
Military couples face many obstacles with distance…being deployed, undergoing training, and being separated for months on end. Most military couples cannot attend in person programs and so our program allows them to still experience this preparation and connect in a deep and profound ways by; praying together, reflecting on their future, and discussing the very important topics to help them prepare seriously for the Sacrament they are asking to receive.
One of the ways we foster good preparation for our military couples it to pair them with a mentor couple that has been in their shoes. They are mentored by couples who are or have been in the military themselves and have experienced all the things these couples may by serving their countries. One of our couples who helps us is Deacon Dave and Kathy Bull from Colorado Springs, CO. Deacon Dave served in the United States Air Force for over 20 years and together they experienced the struggles that military live can bring. We asked Kathy to share some insights with us regarding their experience of mentoring military couples:
She states: “We love working with military couples. They have so many questions about how to make marriage work when there will be deployments and separations looming in their future. We share with them that by God’s grace they made it work!” She continues, “It wasn’t always perfect or easy, but they did it.” They share their experiences during Deacon Dave’s time in active duty. The couples appreciate their testimonies and are prepared, as best they can be, for the difficulties that will arise in their futures. She says, “With Christ at the center, marriage can definitely work for a military couple!”
CatholicMarriagePrep.com is a great fit for these couples because no matter if you are sitting right next to each other or are separated by many miles, you can work together through this pre-cana course.
Kathy shares the advice she gives to engaged military couples: “First, always put Christ at the center of your marriage! Pray for each other and pray together for your marriage, even if it’s only over the phone. Second, be flexible!!! Laugh a lot, especially in the most difficult times, which will come. The washer will break, a car will die, and a child will get sick…and it seems to happen when the military member is away…so find humor and a way to laugh! Third, home is where you hang your hat! Make each assignment or deployment a new adventure where you will continue to make lifelong friends.” They also remind each couple to utilize their military chaplains! Military personnel and their families have a tough job and they will need to be able to see God’s love in each other.
Anthony and Taylor of Stockton, CA recently prepared for marriage using CatholicMarriagePrep.com while Anthony was deployed. They shared their experience with us: “We loved this course and are truly grateful. This journey was an incredible experience with the guidance of our instructors. We appreciate the feedback and lessons throughout. This course has definitely built a foundation for us to continue building on through the good and bad. That we may continue to educate each other within the church and in our marriage with God in the center of it all.”
Joseph and Alexis also recently completed their preparation with us. They were in two different continents when they did their preparation and they share: “I had no idea how the online aspect of it would work. I thought it might be difficult for us to do since we are living far apart. It turned out to be very user friendly and we had no trouble doing the worksheets and communicating with each other. While there was a lot of great content, the thing I appreciated the most were our instructors who always provided timely feedback.”
If you want to learn more about our service to our military couples and to get to know our military mentor couples please visit our website.