June 5th Seth and Monika – Washington D.C. ”I was able to voice my opinion on several topics and receive thoughtful yet non-judgmental responses”
Him: I was very happy with the flexibility of this course. We thoroughly enjoyed the time and effort that was put into the responses for each worksheet. I felt I was able to voice my opinion on several topics and receive a thoughtful yet non-judgmental responses.
Her: We really loved the lessons and suggestions on effective communication and preparation for a couple to succeed through real-life examples. Secondly, I appreciated that modern, real time examples of living as a Catholic were put into thought-provoking questions. It has definitely renewed my desire to get closer to God and become more involved in the Church.
Both: We appreciated the communication and conflict resolution section a lot. It is very easy to easily get upset and stay upset with your partner rather than spending the time to understand what went wrong.
June 6th Ariam and Sarah – San Diego, CA“I appreciated how this course really helped me understand what the husband's and wife's roles are in a marriage.”
Him: I think that this course was very informative in a multitude of ways. This course contained so much information that aimed to strengthen our religious commitments, but I could also see this course helping couples who are not Catholic.
Her: Though we have only begun planning for the wedding and have not been overwhelmed by the planning process, we could tell immediately that the church takes marriage very seriously and does its best to prepare couples for the sacrament. This course really informed us a lot about the church's teachings, God's calling, and the deeper meaning of marriage. A marriage is so much more than a single wedding day.
Both: Yes. This course provided us with a goal and a safe space to talk about some of our beliefs, issues, and thoughts.
June 7th Daniel and Megan – Philadelphia, PA “This course has helped me learn a lot and in a personalized way”
Him:I thought it was helpful to us as a couple to explain the serious and permanent nature of marriage. I was impressed at by how the classes got me to think, reflect, pray and work on my relationship with Megan and God in those days between classes. I particularly liked the structure of how the classes were taught. That is to say that each class seemed to build upon the prior classes.
Her:I liked it. I feel like it is a great tool to get a couple talking about issues that they might not talk about before getting married. I think it also gives a couple good tools and insight on how to handle disagreements or issues that may come up. I really like the personalized answer keys. Mostly I appreciated the deep discussions that a lot of the topics invoked.
Both: I think we are now more sensitive to each other’s feelings.
June 8th Cesar and Ariana - Oakland, CA“We appreciate the answers, advice, and time commitment to this course.”
Him: I thought the course was informative and helped me think about various items I had not thought about. I enjoyed the fact that doing this course at home allowed for thinking, reactions, and conversation. Doing it online worked better for us than if we had gone on a weekend encounter.
Her: The course clarified some things for me that I had trouble understanding. For example, using the comparison of the love of marriage and Jesus' love within the Church. I never understood that before until this course. This worked well with our schedules. It was very informative and allowed for more reflection than it we had gone to the other classes offered within our diocese.
Both: he questions posed helped us talk about things that could have been potential problems. It also covered things that we had not talked about before like money, children, and contraception.
June 9th Russel and Bernice- Sacramento, CA“The course revived my faith as many of the topics were ones my husband and I never really delved into”
Him: This prep did a great job of covering everything a Catholic couple will need currently and in the future. I felt better connected with God and the church with the assignments given. I especially liked having our counselors help us along the way; they both had great insight in our responses and also helped the both of us feel connected.
Her: I thought it was very helpful. At first I was nervous that it would be a very shaming experience as we have been married civilly and not religiously and have already had a child. But surprisingly it seemed to have deepened our bond as a couple in a way that we feel closer not only with each other but to God.
Both: Whenever topics came up we talked each one of them allowed so that we can come to a shared answer. It brought up many questions about our faith in terms of where we would like to move forward and how we were introduced to our faith in the beginning. Although we have been practicing Catholics from the start, this course has strengthened our bond and allowed us to further communicate with each other and God.