Marriage| Better Together

Welcome to the new approach to marrriage preparation in the Diocese of Trenton. This new model incorporates two new elements: 1) The Better Together Marriage Prep and Marriage Enrichment program from Dynamic Catholic Institute; and 2) mentors for the engaged.

The goal of marriage preparation in the Diocese of Trenton is to effectively prepare engaged couples to enter and live out a valid, sacramental marriage. One of the best ways to prepare couples for the daily realities of marriage and connect them to their Catholic faith is for the engaged couple to be accompanied throughout the marriage prep process and into the early years of marriage by an experienced Catholic married couple who are active members of their parish community.

This practice of marriage mentoring is strongly encouraged by Pope Francis and is used in parishes throughout the U.S. and around the world. Here in the Diocese of Trenton we believe that mentoring of the engaged works best as part of an overall marriage preparation process that includes attending Pre-Cana and participating in a Catechetic Segment on Marriage that takes place in the parish.

In addition to having mentors, engaged couples need practical, accessible tools. The Better Together free video-based program from Dynamic Catholic provides these tools. This program is equally effective for marriage prep and marriage enrichment, thus it serves as the basis for the mentor couple/engaged couple meetings and discussions, and for Pre-Cana as well.

The resources and materials on this web page will assist parishes to launch their own marriage mentoring program with the goal of full implementation of the new approach to marriage preparation in all parishes by January 2022.

• Visit the Better Together website from Dynamic Catholic

• Marriage Preparation Information Session 2020 Slides

• Marriage Preparation Process Infographic - CLICK HERE to view full infographic

Marriage Preparation Documents Needed for the new Marriage Prep Process and Mentoring of the Engaged:

• Marriage Preparation Checklist for Engaged Couples

• Parish Guidelines for Preparing Couples for Marriage 

• Sample Letter for Engaged Couples to Begin Marriage Prep Process

• Engaged Couple Guidelines for Selecting Their Mentors

• Guidelines for Marriage Mentors

• Marriage Mentoring Agreement (An agreement between the engaged and mentor couple for meetings, activities and get-togethers; this serves as a checklist for both couples to solidify their commitment to the mentoring process)

• Marriage Preparation Summary Form

• Couple's Guide to Marriage (Pastoral Policies and Guidelines for Marriage) 

• Catechetical Segment for Marriage Preparation

• Frequently Asked Questions About Catholic Marriage in the Diocese of Trenton

• Side-by-side comparison of current Pre-Cana with Better Together Pre-Cana model

• Implementation Timeline for Better Together Pre-Cana Model

• Better Together Remarriage Retreat Description

• Better Together Remarriage Retreat Slides

• Better Together Email Quiz - Questions and Answers

• Better Together Couple's Workbook -  Regular Format

• Better Together Couple's Workbook - Small Group; Four-Session Format

• Better Together Leader's Workbook -Small Group; Four-Session Format

• Better Together Slides for Virtual Sessions - Sample Slides 

• Better Together Pre-Cana Training Document and Detailed Agenda, original version

• Better Together Pre-Cana Training Document without Videos

• Better Together Couple's Workbook, original version

• Better Together Couple's Workbook, updated version (with our without videos)​​​​​​​