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, please contact your local parish at least six months to one year prior to your planned date. You will need to meet with your parish priest and attend one of the several options for Marriage Preparation programs offered throughout the Diocese.

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.

Engaged couples are welcome to attend any of the marriage preparation programs listed below. Prior approval of the priest or deacon responsible for their marriage is required.

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 Thursday nights from 6:00-7:30 pm at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Costa Mesa. Register online. Fee is $150 per couple. Call 714-540-2214 with any questions.
  1. May 4, 11, 18, 25, 2023
  2. August 3, 10, 17, 24, 2023
  3. October 5, 12, 19, 26, 2023
• 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 by calling St. John Neumann church office at 949-559-4006. Current schedule:
  1. September 8, 15, 22, 29, 2023
  2. Additional series to be scheduled in 2024 (usually February)
• 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. Current schedule:
  1. Workshop 1 – February 3, 10, 17, 24, 2023
  2. Workshop 2 – April 28, May 5, 12, 19, 2023
  3. Workshop 3 – October 6, 13, 20, 27, 2023

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

 A GODLY PLAN FOR LOVE & HOLY MATRIMONY

A Godly Plan for Love & Holy Matrimony offers a self-paced online course with mentor sponsors. Natural Family Planning included. Open to all engaged from any church or diocese in U.S. and other countries. We welcome 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 in the Diocese of Orange is offering their weekend retreats online at this time. Fee for online weekend is $100/couple. CEE’s 2023 schedule is posted on their website.

Normally, this is a forty-hour weekend experience presented by a team of married couples and a priest. The weekend is Catholic in orientation with personal reflection and dialogue as the main thrusts. Meals are taken in common and the weekend ends with Sunday Mass.

Further information is available by calling Catholic Engaged Encounter at 714-455-9175 or visit the program website.

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 San Antonio de Padua, St. Anthony Claret, St. Joachim, St. Juliana Falconieri, and Holy Cross Melkite Church and will be coming in 2023 to Our Lady of Guadalupe in La Habra and St. Thomas More. 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