Parish Marriage Ministry 

Becoming a Marriage-Building Parish

All structures that are built to last need a strong foundation and the right materials and tools to build them. Lifelong marriages are the same; they need proper tools and solid materials to make them strong, and a “blueprint” for building and maintaining the structure.

The Plan for Strengthening Marriage is the blueprint for building strong marriages in the Diocese of Trenton. In order to put the marriage plan into action, each parish needs to call upon couples and individuals in the parish who care deeply about their Catholic faith to form a parish marriage ministry team to oversee the host of marriage-strengthening recommendations provided in the plan. 

What Is Parish Marriage Ministry?

Parish Marriage Ministry enables married couples involved in the parish to use their experiences of marriage and family life, especially challenges they have overcome, to accompany other married couples in similar situations. Effective marriage ministry helps married couples discern their own unique gifts and talents, and provides opportunities for couples (and divorced or widowed persons) to use their skills in service to the parish community.
 
Members of the Marriage Ministry leadership team oversee all marriage-building initiatives in the parish, including marriage preparation ministries, couple retreats, speaker events, marriage-related parish workshops, World Marriage Day activities, anniversary celebrations, bible studies, prayer groups, marriage enrichment and skill-building resources, and social activities. Parish Marriage Ministry includes those who serve in leadership roles in Pre-Cana ministry and Mentoring of the Engaged.
 
Parish Marriage Ministry is a peer, like-to-like, intergenerational ministry of the laity that serves the full range of spiritual, emotional and social/relational needs of all married couples in the parish through every stage of marriage and family life. Intentional, comprehensive marriage ministry is integrated into the parish structure with connections to all other ministerial and formational functions of parish life, including outreach, service projects, adult faith formation, youth ministry, religious education, pastoral ministry, liturgical ministry and sacramental preparation.
 
Parish Marriage Ministry is founded on the process of evangelization – meeting people where they are and moving them forward in their faith journey, proclaiming the Gospel (bringing the good news of Jesus Christ into every human situation), inviting couples into discipleship and a personal encounter with the living Jesus through their service to others, and providing opportunities for apostleship as couples help to form new disciples in their own family and in the parish community.

Parish Marriage Ministry - Getting Started

One of the seven objectives of the diocesan “Plan for Strengthening Marriage” launched in May of 2015 is “To establish a marriage ministry in every parish to provide intentional support and enrichment for married couples, including those who are struggling in their relationships or family situations.”
 
As part of this objective, parishes should “Invite and train a core team of married couples to form a marriage ministry, and “Implement a locally-determined set of support and marriage enrichment activities (ie. outreach to newly married couples, support for interfaith couples, parenting, enrichment).”

Couples with strong leadership skills should be encouraged to serve on the core team for marriage ministry in the parish.The Department of Evangelization and Family Life provides all the training needed to get marriage ministry started in your parish.
 

Training for Parish Marriage Ministry - The training workshops described below are available upon request for DoT parishes by contacting the Department of Evangelization and Family Life (Peg Hensler; phensler@dioceseoftrenton.org; 609-403-7156).

Core Team Training - How to Start Marriage Ministry in Your Parish 
Description: This workshop provides the practical steps for building comprehensive, intentional                 marriage ministry in every parish so that parishes may assist youth and young adults in the gradual         process of vocational discernment, prepare engaged couples for Catholic marriage and support               married couples through every stage of marriage and family life. CLICK HERE for the "Guide to Forming Parish Marriage Ministry."

Relational Skills - The Basics of Accompaniment     
Description: This workshop offers an overview of key relational skills that will help those in leadership positions in parish marriage ministry, especially those directly involved in the mentoring of engaged couples and those who are willing to accompany other married couples in dealing with particular family life challenges. Topics include active listening, levels of marital communication, process of forgiveness and reconciliation, accompanying prayer, and cultivating virtues.

Presentation Skills Training for Marriage Ministers        
Description: An introduction, overview and skills training workshop on how to engage an audience, write and deliver a powerful witness talk, integrate story telling into teaching, facilitate small groups, and use power point effectively, all based on the most effective adult learning principles.

Understanding Sacramental Marriage –  A Catechesis on Marriage for Marriage Ministers         Description: This workshop deals with the fundamental question – what is Catholic Marriage?                   The goal is to give participants a solid foundation in the beauty and uniqueness of Catholic                       marriage so they are equipped to evangelize and in minister to engaged and married couples                   through all stages of family life. Topics include the origin and history of Christian marriage, what               makes marriage a sacrament, what constitutes a true marriage, the development of                                   Sacramental Marriage Theology in the Post –Vatican II era, the latest insights and pastoral                       approaches from the Synod on the Family and the new Order of Celebrating Matrimony.

• Pre-Cana Team Training – This training demonstrates how to conduct Pre-Cana sessions using the new Better Together model of marriage preparation. A detailed schedule is provided that includes the use of short videos, witness couple presentations, large group activities, small group sharing, three prayer rituals and other best practices in Pre-Cana. 

• Leadership Training for Mentoring of the Engaged - This training is for the leadership team of married couples (typically two to four couples) selected by the pastor who will assist him in overseeing the mentor couple-engaged couple relationship that is an essential part of the new Marriage Preparation Process in the Diocese of Trenton called - "A Journey of Accompaniment." This training gives an overview of the marriage mentoring process in the parish and includes all mentoring materials and instructions, a specific plan for assisting engaged couples to select their own mentors, and a guide to assisting mentors in various situations. A list of mentoring resources will be provided. Training is available upon request for DoT parishes by contacting the Department of Evangelization and Family Life (Peg Hensler; phensler@dioceseoftrenton.org; 609-403-7156).