OVERVIEW
Para información en español, visite la página web en aqui.
To begin the process of preparation for Sacrament of Marriage in the Catholic Church, contact your local parish as soon as possible (at least six months to one year prior to your desired date). You will need to meet with your parish priest who will be preparing you for sacramental marriage.
Below are approved options for Marriage Preparation programs offered throughout the Diocese of Orange. Please verify with the priest or deacon who is preparing you for marriage before you register and pay for a program to ensure that it is right for you.
All programs focus on issues pertinent to a couple preparing for the Sacrament of Matrimony. They emphasize self-awareness as well as techniques to improve communication.
Natural Family Planning is also strongly recommended as part of a good Marriage Preparation.
Note regarding CONVALIDATIONS: Couples seeking to have their marriages validated by the Church can obtain information by contacting their local parish.
Diocese of Orange MARRIAGE PREPARATION PROGRAM OPTIONS FOR COUPLES
MARRIAGE IN THE LORD
This program is open to couples from all parishes in the diocese. It is presented by married couples who share their experience of marriage to help engaged couples communicate effectively and grow together in their relationship with God and the Church. The program is offered in a workshop series format, where engaged couples are given topics to share with each other and with other couples. Couples must attend all sessions of a series to receive completion certificate. Materials are provided for continuing value after marriage. Various parishes and deaneries host this program in our diocese.
- “The Two Shall Become One” marriage preparation classes are offered on four consecutive Wednesday nights from 6:00-7:30 pm at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Costa Mesa. Register online. Fee is $200 per couple. Call 714-540-2214 with any questions.
- January 10, 17, 24, 31, 2024
- March 6, 13, 20, 27, 2024
- June 5, 12, 19, 26, 2024
- October 2, 9, 16, 23, 2024
- Classes are offered on four consecutive Friday nights from 7:00-9:30 pm at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 5101 Alton Pkwy. in Irvine. Register online or by calling St. John Neumann church office at 949-559-4006. Current schedule:
- September 6, 13, 20, 27, 2024
- February 7, 14, 21, 28, 2025
- Classes are offered on four consecutive Friday nights from 7:00-10:00 pm at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church in Dana Point. Registration form can be downloaded here and submitted to the address provided. Fee is $125 per couple. Current schedule:
- Workshop 1 – January 19, 26, February 2, 9, 2024
- Workshop 2 – April 19, 26, May 3, 10, 2024
- Workshop 3 – September 20, 27, October 4, 11, 2024
Para más información en español, comuníquese con su parroquia o visite la página web en aqui.
Lớp Dự Bị Hôn Nhân tiếng Việt được tổ chức tại Trung Tâm Công Giáo Việt Nam ở Santa Ana. Chương trình này gồm có 9 buổi học với phần trắc nghiệm (thi) và giám định xem các đôi bạn đã sẵn sàng để lập gia đình với nhau chưa. Các buổi học được tổ chức vào tháng 1, tháng 3, tháng 5, tháng 7, tháng 9, và tháng 11. Xin gọi để biết thêm chi tiết: 714-554-421122
BELOVED – Online
The Godly Plan for Love & Holy Matrimony team offers sponsors to work with engaged couples through the Beloved online series course. Natural Family Planning included. The team welcomes couples with loss of prior marriages and those seeking to have their marriage validated in the Church. Register at http://gpmp.org/ or contact 714-639-6236 or [email protected]
CATHOLIC ENGAGED ENCOUNTER
Catholic Engaged Encounter of Orange County is offering their weekend retreats in person and online at this time. CEE’s current schedule, pricing, and more information are posted on their website.
The Engaged Encounter Weekend offers couples a unique opportunity to look at their commitment to each other in a deeper way as they prepare for marriage. It gives them the opportunity to focus exclusively on each other, free from the pressure and distractions of the outside world.
Though Catholic in origin, the Engaged Encounter Weekend experience more generally calls a man and a woman as a couple to strive for a sacramental way of life through the vocation of marriage. The weekend is an in-depth, private, personal, marriage preparation experience within the context of Catholic faith and values, but is not limited to Catholic couples.
Further information is available by contacting Catholic Engaged Encounter at [email protected].
WITNESS TO LOVE
The Diocese of Orange highly recommends the use of the program: Witness to Love. Witness to Love is a virtues-based, Catechumenate model of marriage renewal and preparation that integrates modern principles of psychology and the virtues to help couples facilitate an authentic dialogue about their relationship.
Witness to Love is currently offered at the following parishes:
- Deanery 1: Blessed Sacrament
- Deanery 2: San Antonio de Padua
- Deanery 3: St. Anthony Claret, St. Juliana Falconieri, Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Habra, and Holy Cross Melkite Church
- Deanery 5: St. Joachim
- Deanery 6: Santiago de Compostela, Our Lady of Peace Korean Center.
If you would like to prepare for marriage with Witness to Love, but your parish is not yet offering this program, please contact Linda Ji by email at [email protected].
For more information on how to bring Witness to Love to your parish, click here.
Options from other Dioceses (online)
- SmartLoving Engaged is an online Catholic marriage preparation course for engaged couples. Consisting of 9 lessons, a couple can progress through the course at their own pace and will receive a certificate of completion at the end. It is strongly recommended to go through the course with your sponsor couple. For more information and to register for the course visit: www.smartloving.org/orange
- CatholicMarriagePrep.com from Agape Catholic Ministries partners engaged couples with mentor instructors online. Fee: $239-289. Languages: English, Spanish, French.
- Living Our Faith in Love by The Marriage Group is a self-paced online and on-demand program. You can start and stop at any time and take as long as you need to complete. Fee: $195. Languages: English and captioning in English or Spanish. (Includes introductory NFP segment, NFP Life)
MARRIAGE PREPARATION- VIETNAMESE
Preparation classes are conducted in Vietnamese at the Vietnamese Catholic Center in Santa Ana. There are nine sessions which include a test and evaluation of a couple’s readiness for marriage. Sessions are held in January, March, May, July, September and November.
For further information, call 714-554-4211
CHƯƠNG TRÌNH DỰ BỊ HÔN NHÂN TIẾNG VIỆT
Lớp Dự Bị Hôn Nhân tiếng Việt được tổ chức tại Trung Tâm Công Giáo Việt Nam ở Santa Ana. Chương trình này gồm có 9 buổi học với phần trắc nghiệm (thi) và giám định xem các đôi bạn đã sẵn sàng để lập gia đình với nhau chưa. Các buổi học được tổ chức vào tháng 1, tháng 3, tháng 5, tháng 7, tháng 9, và tháng 11. Xin gọi để biết thêm chi tiết: 714-554-4211