Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life

Book excerpt: A pastoral outline for preparing engaged couples for the Sacrament of Matrimony and the great mission of family life In every age, the Church is called to proclaim anew the beauty and abundance of grace contained in the Sacrament of Matrimony and the family life which flows from it, especially to young people. Building upon Pope Francis’ call in Amoris Laetitia for a deeper formation of engaged couples, the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life has prepared the document Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life, which offers pastors, married couples, and all those who work in family pastoral care a renewed vision and methodology of preparation for the Sacrament of Matrimony and for all married life. This new, comprehensive proposal helps parishes: Facilitate a personal encounter with Jesus Christ for the engaged couple Support the couple as they build a solid foundation for a future vocation and discipleship Communicate the meaning of spousal love and the sacredness of marriage to those in preparation for the sacrament Effectively accompany the couple’s first years of married life within the parish community Minister to couples “in crisis” and going through moments of discouragement Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life supports the development of marriage preparation programs that encourage couples to build the foundation for strong, faith-filled marriages that blossom into faithful families. This new edition of Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life features: A newly designed cover with beautiful sacred art Colored tabs with paragraph numbers at the top of each page for easy navigation Carefully designed pages to make each page readable, organized, and inviting A document summary explaining the intended audience, the document’s origin, and the purpose it seeks to serve within the mission of the Church The official text of this work written by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Laity, Family, and Life This new edition is the first in The Vatican Collection published by Ascension, which features official documents from the Vatican previously published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).