In summer 2022, the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life released a document titled Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life. In this document, the dicastery outlined Pope Francis’ vision for a marriage catechumenate, or preparation similar to those becoming Catholic. The document breaks down the marriage formation process into three phases: a pre-catechumenal phase (remote prep), an intermediate phase and a catechumenal phase.
The idea is that vocational discernment and preparation begin at birth. The document states that remote preparation “aims, from childhood, to ‘prepare the ground’ on which to sow the seeds of a future vocation to married life.” To do this, parishes, schools and families should instill in youth the love of God for each person, age-appropriate theology of the body and their identity as children of God.
In our current culture, sex is often separated from marriage, and young adults especially are living a materialistic life, giving in to their own pleasures. It is critical to lay a solid foundation for our children so they can see God’s truth in the world as they grow and discern.
When a couple approaches the Church seeking the sacrament of marriage, they will enter the intermediate phase. This phase is a time to get to know a couple and help strengthen their faith, to proclaim the kerygma, (preaching the gospel), and to lay a foundation centered on Christ. This phase would vary based on where couples are in their faith journeys. Throughout this phase, couples are still discerning their vocation.
There are three parts in the final, catechumenal phase. The first part is proximate preparation. During proximate preparation, couples are learning about themselves, as individuals and as a couple, as well as the responsibilities of married life. It is also important for couples to hear God’s plan for human love in marriage, including theology of the body, chastity education and natural family planning.
Couples need all the tools to live their marriage as God intended. Small groups, retreats, mentor couples and meetings with a pastoral team are part of this phase.
The second part of the final phase is the final preparation. This occurs in the months leading up to the wedding. During this phase, couples focus on the liturgy of the wedding, reviewing and choosing the readings and blessings to be used at the wedding. This final phase allows the couple to center themselves on Christ and His presence at their wedding and in their marriage.
The final part of the catechumenal phase is, in my opinion, the most unserved part of family life: the first years of marriage. Often, couples come to the church for a wedding, and then they are sent out to live their lives without any follow up or support. Frequently, in those first years, couples stumble as they try to figure it all out.
The document reminds us that “the catechumenal pathway does not conclude with the celebration of marriage. In fact, the entire process should not be understood as an isolated act, but rather as the entry into a ‘permanent state,’ which therefore requires a unique ‘ongoing formation’ involving reflection, dialogue, and help from the Church.”
Couples should enter a time of marriage mystagogy, or an initiation into the mystery of Christ in their marriage, similar to that of those newly initiated into the Church. It allows them to enter into the mystery and consider what they have just received from Christ and what He did for them.
It is important to help them feel Christ present in their marriage, just as they experience Him in the other sacraments. Newlywed couples can continue meeting in small groups, allowing them to support one another through these initial years.
Finally, the document closes by stating the importance of supporting struggling marriages and helping them to heal from wounds and hurts. Couples are invited to turn to the Church when they need support, especially in our throwaway culture, where the world is telling struggling married people to move on and start over.
Couples often don’t consider the Church as an option when they are struggling because they don’t feel the Church can help them. The document compares this to the parable of the Good Samaritan. While others might walk by a couple who needs assistance and judge them for their struggles, we, as a Church, can be the Good Samaritan and give them the aid they need.
The Marriage and Family Life Office is using this document to guide discussions about marriage formation in our diocese. It is exciting to see changes to marriage formation and a focus on keeping couples together and strengthening their relationships.
To read the full document, visit www.columbuscatholic.org/marriageformation.