Marriage Formation for Engaged Couples - Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange

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 or deacon who will be preparing you for the sacrament of marriage. Note that most parishes will not schedule the wedding until you have met with the priest or deacon overseeing your preparation.

Below are approved options for marriage preparation 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.

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

WITNESS TO LOVE

Witness to Love invites engaged couples to journey through their marriage preparation with a mentor couple of their choice from their parish. The program integrates modern principles of psychology and the virtues to help couples facilitate an authentic dialogue about their relationship. In addition to meetings with their mentor couple, engaged couples will attend a retreat and other activities as part of their formation for marriage.

Witness to Love is currently offered at the following parishes:

Deanery 1: Blessed Sacrament, Christ Cathedral, St. Irenaeus
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 6: St. Thomas More, 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, you can use the Witness to Love Hybrid Experience (formerly called the Virtual Pathway). The Witness to Love Hybrid Experience offers you and your future spouse the same marriage preparation process as the parish-based program, except your initial steps and introduction to the process are completed with the help of Witness to Love coaches. To find out more and to get started, go to the Hybrid Experience webpage and fill out the intake form. A Witness to Love team member will reach out to you and get you everything you need to start your journey!

For more information on how to bring Witness to Love to your parish, click here.

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.
1. January 7, 14, 28, 2026
2. April 8, 15, 22, 29, 2026
3. July 8, 15, 22, 29, 2026
4. October 7, 14, 21, 28, 2026
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:
1. February 6, 13, 20, 27, 2026
2. September 4, 11, 18, 25, 2026
Classes are offered on four consecutive Wednesday nights from 7:00-9:30 pm at Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Newport Beach. Cost is $95 per couple. To register, contact Deacon Steve Mutz at 949-370-6574 (cell) or 949-645-6966 (landline). Current schedule:
1. January 7, 14, 21, 28, 2026
2. March 4, 11, 18, 25, 2026
3. May 6, 13, 20, 27, 2026
4. July 8, 15, 22, 29, 2026
5. September 9, 16, 23, 30, 2026
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:
1. Workshop 1 – January 16, 23, 30, February 6, 2026
2. Workshop 2 – April 24, May 1, 8, 15, 2026
3. Workshop 3 – September 18, 25, October 2, 2026

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: 714-554-4211.

BETTER TOGETHER

Better Together is a two-day in person marriage preparation retreat that will help equip engaged couples with the tools needed to build a lasting, happy, and faith-filled marriage.

Date: March 7-8, 2026
Location: Our Lady Queen of Angels Ministry Center Hall (2046 Mar Vista Drive, Newport Beach 92660)
Cost: $150 per couple

The schedule includes 10am-4pm on Saturday (9:30am check-in) and 12-6pm on Sunday (includes 5pm Mass).

Engaged couples can apply. Due to an expected high number of submissions, please note OLQA parishioners have registration priority. More information and registration at Our Lady Queen of Angels | Better Together

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].

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]

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

Options from other Dioceses (online)

The below options are provided for cases where engaged couples are separated by long distance or extenuating circumstances that prevent them from completing one of our local programs above.

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: $225. Languages: English and captioning in English or Spanish. (Includes introductory NFP segment, NFP Life, taught by a Catholic OBGYN and two certified FertilityCare Practitioner, and the Premarital Inventory Prepare/Enrich)