Secular to Sacramental

A four- week program of marriage formation specifically tailored for convalidating couples in the Catholic Church

“Secular to Sacramental” is a group application of the content and exercises offered in “Preparing to Live in Love,” the time-tested, life-changing, one-on-one mentoring program of Catholic marriage preparation. “Secular to Sacramental” has been especially tailored for couples who are already civilly married or long-term cohabitating with children, who now seek a sacramental union. A Spanish version will be available in 2020. 

The key components that make this program incredibly effective are: 

  • A clear distinction between the secular and sacramental models of marriage, seen through the prism of lived experience 
  • The latest scientific research integrated with Saint John Paul ll”s Theology of the Body 
  • Practical life skills, principles, and strategies using an experiential curriculum 
  • Liberating insights and rich Catholic teaching articulated in common sense language 
  • A uniquely positive, proactive mindset that appeals to modern couples 
  • The authentic witness of joyfully married couples who are passionately and intentionally living the sacrament of matrimony in order to reveal and manifest Christ’s love for the church to those around them. 

The program is presented in four, 3-hour sessions one week apart. Each engaging session includes state of the art take home materials. Topics are practical and relevant yet designed to motivate and empower couples to raise the bar to a more generous, other- centered, experience of total self- donation. 

Sessions include topics such as: Affirming masculinity and femininity, The Language of the Body, and inviting Christ into conjugal love, Spiritual nakedness and couple prayer, The role of Matrimony in the church, Emotional and verbal intimacy, Integrating the unitive and procreative dimensions of conjugal love and openness to life, Strategies and skills for forgiveness and healing, avoiding misunderstandings, coming together on issues, developing couple values, and making couple decisions, Freedom from the limiting formation of family of origin and attitudes in the culture.