Marriage
The parish has a marriage preparation team who lead the days and give the input but most of the work is done by the couples themselves, in group sharing, conversations between themselves, group activities and of course the time spent in those informal conversations about their future plans together.
Marriage
After all the disappointments and frustrations of the last year and a half, it was a joy to be able to launch once again our Parish Marriage Preparation Courses in person. The course is arranged over two consecutive weekends based on four sessions and couples are encouraged to attend all sessions in addition to the preparation provided by the Marriage and Family Life Team of the Archdiocese of Southwark.
If you normally live in this parish and are planning to be married here or in any other Church, you should try to give at least six months’ notice to the parish Clergy. Sacred Heart offers marriage preparation several times a year. (September, November, January, April and June).
The parish has a marriage preparation team who lead the days and give the input but most of the work is done by the couples themselves, in group sharing, conversations between themselves, group activities and of course the time spent in those informal conversations about their future plans together. The group also lunch together.
An initial meeting with one of the clergy is followed by four one-hour sessions with other couples. A final meeting for each couple, to complete the required documentation is arranged by appointment.
The themes covered on the day are, What do we understand by Marriage?, What is Love, Examples of Christian Love, Hopes and fears,, Sacrament and Vocation, Consent, Family and Children, Living out your vows, Vows, Promises, Covenant and Contract- what is the difference, Forgiveness and understanding, the Churches teaching on Sex and Love, and a final session which looks at the Marriage Ceremony- Do’s and Don’ts and touches also on the civil requirements.
The course also touches on recent Papal teaching on Marriage, in particular, Amoris Laetitia and the words of Pope Francis to young couples at the World Meeting of Families in Dublin and also at World Youth Day and his Catechesis on Marriage given in Rome.
On Sunday 14th November and Saturday 26th November, four couples met together to take part in the marriage preparation day. The day ended with the couples gathering in the Church to recite the Marriage Creed, a statement put together a few years ago by the Marriage and Family Life Committee of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales.
We wish our couples and all those preparing for Marriage a fruitful time of discernment, prayer and preparation and our prayers go with them for the wedding day and their married life together