Encouraging Catholic Weddings (ECW)

Welcome to "Encouraging Catholic Weddings (ECW)" - an initiative of the Diocese of Trenton's Plan for Strengthening Marriage. ECW has two components:

1. ECW Program for Parishes (learn more...

2. "The Wedding Survival Guide for Catholics" Book (learn more...)

3. ECW Program for Engaged Couples and Families - Why Marry Catholic (learn more...)

​​​ECW is a direct response to the diocesan Plan for Strengthening Marriage, which calls us "to influence the decision of Catholics to marry in the Church through the development and widespread dissemination of a compelling message about Catholic marriage." (Objective Three of the Plan)

Strong Catholic marriages are the source of new life for the Catholic Church. As fewer and fewer Catholic couples choose to marry in the Church, our dioceses and parishes must have a radical response. We must meet our young adults where they are and demonstrate the beauty of Catholic marrriage. Just as Jesus calls us to leave the ninety-nine to pursue the one lost sheep, we must pursue our engaged couples with intentionality and a consistent message of hope and love. We as a community of faith must seek perfection in ourselves with the help of God's grace and call our engaged couples to the same level of perfection that Jesus shows us in the Gospels.

There is so much to say about the beauty of Catholic marriage, but when it comes to a compelling message, one thing we can say for sure - "Catholic marriage is a gift!"

First, it is a gift to the couple themselves who receive the grace and blessing of God, and the on-going support from their parish community. Second, it is a gift of hope and joy to their family, friends, faith community and all who know them.Third, it is a gift to the world because it makes Christ's love truly present and it helps build the Kingdom of God on earth.

So how do we share this message of hope with our young adult Catholics who are considering marriage? How do we help parents and grandparents convince their adult children and grandchilden of all that is good about Catholic marriage? How do we assist parishes to promote the beauty of Catholic marriage?

At the core of the "Encouraging Catholic Weddings" initiative is the 192-page practical guidebook, The Wedding Survival Guide for Catholics – 44 Strategies to Survive Wedding Planning and Thrive in a Catholic Marriage.

This book is a joint project of the Diocese of Trenton and the secular publishing group, Stress Gone Publishing LLC; it helps couples minimize wedding/reception planning stress, promotes the  beauty of Catholic marriage, and shows how to navigate the complexities of planning a Church wedding.

The "Encouraging Catholic Weddings" initiative includes resources for anyone interested in Catholic marriage, and a free, comprehensive yet easy-to-implement parish program that helps identify couples as they become engaged and inspires them to seek all the elements of a true and beautiful Catholic marriage. 

Learn More About Promoting Catholic Marriage...

• Read about Ten Strategies to Promote Catholic Marriage from the U. S. Catholic Bishops.

• Read these great articles about the Encouraging Catholic Weddings (ECW) project in the Diocese of Trenton

  • Monitor Article on the project launch

  • Intermountain Catholic article on the Wedding Survival Guide for Catholics

  • Clarion Herald, New Orleans article on the Wedding Survival Guide

• WATCH this interview on Catholic Faith Network (Peg Hensler on The Wedding Survival Guide)

• WATCH this interview on Catholic TV (Peg Hensler on Catholic marriage and The Wedding Survivor Guide)

Contact Information

Questions? Comments? Feedback? Learn more by contacting us:

DIOCESES & PARISHES