In the Catholic Church, marriage is an important religious event. For Catholics, the Sacrament of Marriage, or Holy Matrimony, is a public sign that one gives oneself totally to another person. It is also a public statement about God: the loving union of husband and wife speaks of family values and also God's values. As such, preparing for marriage often means some deep reflection on how God fits into your life, your future and of course, your marriage.

Wedding Preparation
The wedding ceremony will express your belief that God will be with you to support you in your life together. For a wedding in the Catholic church at least one of the couple must be a baptised Catholic. Couples who plan to get married in the Catholic church are encouraged to participate in the pre-marital counselling. We encourage you to talk about this with the Priest as you prepare for your wedding. If you have been previously married in either a civil or religious ceremony make sure you discuss this with the Priest at the first meeting.

Starting a New Life Together
Marriage preparation is a very busy time. Most couples find this to be exciting as they watch their plans unfold before them. The Catholic Church shares your joy as you begin this new phase of your journey, and there may be some aspects of the Church that are new to you. The Catholic Church enables couples to reflect on what they promise each other. One of the promises is to accept children lovingly from God.

A Marriage Encounter is a weekend away, offering married couples a special kind of "time out", a different kind of "weekend getaway". It is an opportunity to recharge your relationship batteries and more deeply explore the precious nature of your marriage. It offers a gentle, nurturing environment, away from the pressures and distractions of daily living. Thus, it allows you both to share your feelings, hopes and dreams with each other in ways that normal, daily living tends to inhibit. A Marriage Encounter weekend is a time for you and your spouse to be alone together, rediscover each other, re-create the romance, re-celebrate the joy and reflect on what you have learnt from the inevitable struggles in your relationship. Marriage Encounter is for couples with basically sound marriages who want to take their relationship a step further and enrich and/or revitalise their marriage. The weekend is not equipped to deal with problems like domestic violence, infidelity or separation. Marriage Encounter is definitely NOT marriage guidance or marriage counselling. There are various government and privately funded counselling services offering assistance to marriages in crisis.

A prayer for Couples - " Bless us as we begin our journey as a married couple. We are grateful to You for bringing us together. As we share our love for our future children, may we open them up to Y our love and to the unique Call in life that you have for them. Amen. "

For more information go to this website http://www.wwme.org.au/

TEAMS (of Our Lady) is a worldwide Movement for Married Couples in the Catholic Church. Teams was first officially recognised by the Church, approving its statutes, in 1960. In 1975 Rome declared TEAMS to be an International Catholic Association. This recognition was confirmed in 1992 and again in 2002. In 1997 Saint Pope John Paul II represented TEAMS as “a catalyst for renewal within the Church”.

Participation in TEAMS is open to all couples, regardless of age and cultural diversity. A TEAM comprises 4-6 couples who journey together. Between meetings each couple reflects on their lives together in a “sit-down”. The couples then gather monthly to share about their lives over a meal, followed by discussion on a topic and a time for prayer and reflection.

Pope Francis, in Amoris Laetitia [The Joy of Loving] outlines his vision for accompanying couples – “to walk with or alongside others, gently and faithfully…to support, fortify and encourage”.

The focus of TEAMS is the individual couple, on their relationship, on the “sit-down”, on making space for them to share their lives, on offering them the gift of sharing their lives with others and receiving that gift in return.

At the heart of TEAMS is Married Spirituality. A TEAM is a unique place where we learn to talk to each other more deeply, share our married life with others and link our ordinary lives to God’s great story.

For more information about TEAMS, refer to: https://www.teamsoceania.com.au; https://equipes-notre-dame.com/en/ or email jmcjadey@gmail.com

For all other inquiries regarding Marriage please contact your local parish.