After you become engaged, you should contact your parish as soon as possible and set up a meeting with a priest or deacon to assist you in your marriage preparation. The Church wants your marriage to be successful and to be a source of happiness and blessing throughout your lives.

This meeting is a time to begin the process of completing the necessary forms.

During this initial meeting, the priest or deacon will determine if you and your fiance(e) are free to marry in the Church (i.e., confirm than no canonical impediments exist).

He will also provide you with the information you need to complete Steps 2-6 of the marriage preparation process. Establishing a schedule for the completion of the individual components during or shortly after this meeting is advised.

FOCCUS stands for: "Facilitate Open, Couple Communication, Understanding and Study"

FOCCUS  is:

• A series of online questions designed to assess each of your habits, expectations, and values.
• A personalized profile of your relationship's strengths and weaknesses.
• An important starting point for identifying and discussing any areas that need attention.
•  FOCCUS  is not a test; there are no right or wrong answers.

After a couple takes the online inventory, a parish member or marriage preparation team member will conduct a follow-up session with the engaged couple which focuses on key areas of the FOCCUS test. 

In most cases, this requires only one meeting. However when several differences in critical areas are evident, more follow up sessions may be necessary.

At the completion of this process, the priest, deacon, parish director or pastoral minister will proceed with your marriage unless a serious obstacle arises that might prevent you from entering a permanent marriage. (These my include: inability to assume the obligations of marriage due to psychological causes, an expressed intention to deny the other a permanent and exclusive union, a decision by either to permanently prevent children and refusal of the Catholic to make every effort to provide for the Catholic formation of children.)

Please contact your parish to see which program/classes are available for you. Some are available online.

• Ascension Press - Joy Filled Marriage
• Formed.Org - Beloved
• Dynamic Catholic - Better Together 
• Witness to Love
• Online Option: CatholicMarriagePrep.Com

The Diocese of Superior offers an excellent educational component designed to introduce you to the rich and engaging teaching of the Church on the sacrament of matrimony, including the truth and meaning of human sexuality. As part of the course, we also offer virtue-based instruction in communication, conflict resolution, and financial decision-making. This will build on the knowledge you gained from your marriage inventory.

Preparation programs, whether a diocesan conference or parish-based day, enable couples to concentrate more intensely on the many facets of married life so they may be more aware of all the dimensions of marriage. The program helps engaged couples explore and determine the strengths and weaknesses of their relationship in terms of their future life together.

It's time! Say "Yes" to God's plan for Marriage! Natural Family Planning. The slogan focuses on God's gift of the nature of marriage to husband and wife. Natural Family Planning is presented as a support for married couples to honor God's plan. 

The Catholic Church supports the methods of Natural Family Planning (NFP) because they respect God's design for married love. In fact, NFP represents the only authentic approach to family planning available to husbands and wives because these methods can be used to both attempt or avoid pregnancy.

Natural Family Planning (NFP) is not only effective for organically postponing pregnancy, it is also highly effective in overcoming obstacles that compromise your ability to become parents.

NFP makes use of periodic abstinence from sexual intercourse based upon the observation of the woman’s natural signs of fertility, in order to space births or to limit the number of children when there is serious reason to do so. Your pastor can refer you to an expert in NFP.

The Church invites all Catholics to prepare themselves spiritually prior to their marriage by celebrating the sacrament of reconciliation. Even if you are not of the Catholic faith, you will benefit from spritual direction from the priest or deacon who will be officiating at your wedding, or from another priest. The regular practice of the sacrament of reconciliation keeps marriages healthy and strong.

Prior to the wedding date, you will be communicating regularly with the priest or deacon who will be witnessing your wedding.

You as an engaged couple, along with the priest, deacon, parish director or pastoral minister, will devote time to the planning of the wedding liturgy.