How the Together course overlaps with the episcopal Criteria for pre-marriage courses |
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Norms set by the bishops:The spirituality of marriage is central to marriage preparation... As well as drawing from human experience, the vision of marriage will be informed by sacred scripture and church documents... |
The goals of the Together course:The ideal of marriage as covenant and vocation is central to our course. A priest highlights it in speaking of the sacrament, but this vision of marriage is held by all speakers on our team... |
| The core elements of a marriage relationship should form the basis of any programme: choosing the sacrament, family of origin, etc... | These core elements listed are central to our one-day course. We also make clear what's involved in choosing the sacrament... |
| The emphasis should be on the couple and their needs ... Group discussion should be part of the process, and couples should feel free to engage in any discussion as they desire. | The actual wishes of the couples are sought at each course. We surface their questions & concerns in each session, and they may raise any issues they wish. |
| The programmes should involve a minimum of nine facilitated hours of client contact, and be multi-sessional, and at a leisurely pace ... | Our day starts at 09:15, ends at 17:15. (8 hours) If our session of counselling is taken up, it adds up to a nine hours total... |
| All programme facilitators should receive the highest standard of training ... ideally, they should be accredited by a Catholic educational institution.... | Our facilitators (Panelists) are highly qualified and engage in continuous professional development, under peer assessment in counselling ... |
| Clergy Participation: [courses] should be... collaboration of laity and clergy in promoting marriage.
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Clergy Participation: Our team always includes a priest, and is a collaboration of laity and clergy to promote harmony in marriage. |