The Catholic Church has a long history of helping couples to prepare for marriage. It has learned a great deal that can help any couple, regardless of religion.
Because the Catholic Church wants couples to form strong, lasting marriages, couples who marry in the Catholic Church are asked to:
Please register for a full course in NFP or an NFP Seminar three to six months prior to your wedding.
Natural Family Planning Mandatum for All Couples Preparing for Marriage in the Rockford Diocese (Click to open)
For more detailed information (including dates and locations) about Sacramental Marriage Preparation: Faithful & Forever, please visit our website
To register:
Because the Catholic Church wants couples to form strong, lasting marriages, couples who marry in the Catholic Church are asked to:
1. Contact and meet with parish priest as soon as they are engaged.
2. Take at least six months to prepare for the Sacrament of Matrimony.
This means more than planning for the event. It means planning for a lifetime together. It means using this time to delve more deeply into your relationship and approach this momentous day with prayer and reflection.3. Natural Family Planning Requirement
Marriage preparation includes, at a minimum, an introduction to Natural Family Planning (NFP). The NFP Seminars provide an introduction to NFP. We recommended, however, that you take a full course of Natural Family Planning. This way, should you choose to use NFP in your marriage immediately, or at a later date, you will have the knowledge necessary. Natural Family Planning can also help you identify and treat your reproductive health problems (painful periods, endometriosis, PCOS, infrequent bleeding, etc).Please register for a full course in NFP or an NFP Seminar three to six months prior to your wedding.
To register for a full course, please call one of our instructors to set up an appointment.
To register for an NFP Seminar, please print and mail the below registration form.
Natural Family Planning Mandatum for All Couples Preparing for Marriage in the Rockford Diocese (Click to open)
4. Sacramental Marriage Preparation: Faithful & Forever
Marriage preparation also includes attending a two day retreat entitled Sacramental Marriage Preparation: Faithful & Forever. This weekend starts on Friday evening and ends late Saturday evening and provides private time for couples planning for the Sacrament of Matrimony whether it's the first time for both of them, a remarriage or convalidation. Couples are given the opportunity to look honestly and intensively at their prospective lives together as husband and wife and as a Sacrament of the Church. This is a time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to reflect, examine and deepen their relationship with each other as well as with God without distraction.
To register:
