A liturgically-based pastoral and practical resource for couples preparing for marriage. It will help them discuss important issues related to communication, finances, reconciliation, sex, spirituality and prayer, and discipleship. It will help ground a couples formation through the lens of the Marriage rite and provide tools for discussion.

“The Catholic Church saved my marriage and, quite possibly, my life.” So begins David Anders in this remarkably forthright book. In it, David reports that by the early 2000s, his marriage was so painful he actually longed for death. It wasn’t simple incompatibility; he and his wife had just one thing in common: contempt for each other. Today, David and his wife are happy together – not because of marriage therapy, but because they came to know and fully embraced the Catholic Church’s teachings on marriage. Many people who encounter such teachings are shocked by their rigor. Yet the Church offers much more than rules about sexual restraint; she offers a way to make marriage into something supernatural, even mystical. Here Dr. Anders shares his personal discovery of the Church’s teaching on marriage and offers a robust defense of the Church’s most controversial teachings, including divorce, remarriage, gay marriage, and contraception. With the Church’s teachings and the writings of the saints as his guide, he also offers practical, time-tested ways to improve your marriage, such as how to live in peace despite an unhappy marriage, the value of suffering, and ways to overcome your reluctance to forgive grave offenses. In a culture that breaks apart marriages and undermines human dignity, Dr. David Anders offers a hope-filled alternative for those who live moral and spiritual lives in union with Christ and His Church.

Drawing on his experience of forty years as a psychiatrist, Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons presents twelve habits that can foster healing and growth in Catholic marriages. This books helps couples to identify and resolve the major emotional conflicts that weaken their relationships and hurt their marriages. Habits for a Healthy Marriage is unique because it draws on the field of positive psychology, which focuses on growth in virtues. Each chapter names a common marital problem along with a particular virtue that can help couples to overcome that problem. It shows that the road to healing is paved with forgiveness, not only between spouses but also within their families of origin. Along the way the author incorporates the luminous writing of Saint John Paul II on marriage and the timeless wisdom of the Catholic Church. Whether you are newly engaged, recently married, or married for many years, the conflict-resolving strategies described in this book—the habits of a healthy marriage—can help you to protect your relationship from the emotional storms that often lead to quarrelling and mistrust, and sometimes to separation and divorce.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 540-542) and indexes.

Marriage can be challenging under even the best of circumstances. When your spouse is from another Christian denomination, another faith or no faith at all, a whole new set of unique challenges come into play. The increasing frequency of such marriages demands intelligent planning and compassionate advice. Starting from the premise that God blesses all marriages, Father Hater offers a pastoral approach to dealing with the difficulties Catholics face in marrying someone from another faith background. How can both spouses' beliefs be respected? How can comments and even interference from friends and relatives be answered? Tips for both the married (or marrying) couple and parish professionals range from how to manage the wedding ceremony to creating a faith-centered home environment. Drawing on his own extensive pastoral experience, Father Hater provides stories of those who have successfully overcome these difficulties and who have been enriched by embracing the challenges, rather than avoiding them.

Written by a Catholic laywoman and a Catholic priest, this book looks at both the underlying theology and practical approaches to the Catholic wedding.

Get your marriage off to a great start--or renew the marriage you've shared for years--with this six-week devotional for couples, which takes inspiration from Pope John Paul II's Theology of the Body. Experts Jackie François Angel and Bobby Angel will teach you how to pray together as a couple, opening you up to the wonders that God bestows on your marriage.