Agape Institute

We ask all couple preparing for their 1st Marriage  to complete the following in preparation for their Wedding Day

• Premarital Inventory This can be done in person or online
• Pre Cana Marriage Prep Course, we have several to choose from.  Online and in person
• Natural Family Planning Training, in person courses and Online

THEOLOGY OF THE BODY MARRIAGE PREPARATION

Couples are immersed in the Theology of the Body (TOB) throughout the marriage prep course.

The course requires a minimum of 20 hours of active work. It is usually completed in three to six weeks. It must be completed within three months maximum.
In special cases only, the course can be completed in less than three weeks. In these cases, couples will have to sign up for our Urgent Care program. This program allows engaged couples to expedite their worksheet processing. The course still takes a minimum of FIVE days to complete and is dependent on instructors’ availability. Note that instructors will not work on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation.

There is a total of 9 assignments. Couples will receive 7 personal answer keys from their instructor couple (there is no answer key for the first Knowing You Better form, and the answer to the feedback form, at the end of the course, is not an answer key).

Note: The course covers the theology behind NFP and explains why contraception is a grave sin.
The course does NOT include actual NFP training. We do offer information on available NFP training options.

1- Knowing You Better:

A short form about you and your story.
Your Instructors want to know you personally.
It is very important for them to know a bit of your background in order to better tailor-fit their answers to your specific needs.

 

2- God's Plan for Humanity

The course starts with Genesis: God's Plan for man and woman, the origin of marriage, and how sin distorted everything.
What does it mean to be human, to be a man, and to be a woman?
What is sin and how it distorted man and woman's relationship? How it still affects us today?
Is there any hope for redemption?

3- The Sacrament of Matrimony

What is a Sacrament? Why is it important to receive the Sacraments?
After a short review of the seven sacraments of the Church, we will reflect on what it means to receive the Sacrament of Matrimony. What can we expect?

St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians will show us how marriage images the love of Christ for the Church. It will also help us improve our communication through the "love and respect connection."

4- Formation of Conscience
 
What is conscience?
Why do we really need to form our conscience to be able to make good and moral decisions?

The teaching includes a questionnaire to be filled out by the couple.

5- Saying No To Contraception

"Why does the Catholic Church keep insisting, in the face of the opposite position held by most of the rest of the modern world, that contraception is one of the worst inventions of our time." www.catholiceducation.org
The teaching includes a questionnaire to be filled out by the couple.
The course explains the theology behind NFP but does not include actual NFP training.

6- The Rite of Matrimony

The promises of the Rite of Matrimony in detail:
We will analyze each sentence of the rite of matrimony, which will bring about several important topics: cohabitation, sex before marriage, contraception, abortion, reproductive technologies, child-rearing, families of origin...

You will be challenged to make a decision on these core topics: abstinence before the wedding and Natural Family Planning.

7- Forgiveness / Your Body is a Temple

Forgiveness
We will learn how forgiveness is vital to marriage and rediscover the beautiful gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Your Body is a Temple
We will also learn that we owe respect to our bodies as they are the Temple of the Holy Spirit and a window to our souls. This will guide us towards a holy sex life.

8- Relationship Tools

Life-skills
Your life-project. What do you expect from marriage.
Myths and reality.

A look at the potential problems of conjugal life with solutions.
Vital communication and conflict resolution tools, exercises, and advice. Resources on finances.
We will help you start praying together, "for a family that prays together is a family that stays together." (Father Peyton, Mother Teresa)
 

9- Your Feedback...

Your chance to let us know what you got out of the class, how it affected you, and how we can improve it...

...and your certificate of completion,
uploaded as a PDF file onto your profile.