Marriage Preparation
Marriage and Respect Life
400 E. Monroe
Phoenix, AZ 85004
Mike Phelan
Director of Marriage and Respect Life
(602) 354-2355
Matt Anderson
Coordinator of Respect Life Parish Leadership Support
(602) 354-2132
Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.
– Matthew 7:24-25
Marriage is an act of will that signifies and involves a mutual gift, which unites the spouses and binds them to their eventual souls, with whom they make up a sole family – a domestic church.
- John Paul II (Love and Responsibility)
Congratulations on your engagement! The Church rejoices that you have decided to give yourselves to each other in a loving, life-long commitment and to enrich the Church and the world through your marriage and family. Your marriage preparation actually began a long time ago when you were a child, learning examples of love from those around you. You began to form friendships and to learn what it meant to love, forgive, listen to, converse with, and simply be with another person. These experiences helped to make you who you are today and perhaps led you to your fiancé.
As you and your fiancé prepare for marriage, the diocese of phoenix is committed to helping you as a couple build a “firm foundation” for your future marriage. With rising rates of divorce, adultery, and children being born out of marital relationships, it can some people develop a hopeless attitude towards marriage. But we should remember the words of Blessed Pope John Paul II who, in his first homily as Pope, echoed the words of Scripture and exclaimed, “Be not afraid!” We hope that the Diocesan marriage preparation program will be an opportunity for God to renew your relationship make it a beacon of hope to a world that walks in darkness and despair.
In order to provide this firm foundation for your relationship, marriage preparation in the Diocese of Phoenix begins at least nine months prior to your wedding. You begin the process by talking with your local pastor who will help guide you through the process. Then, you will continue the process by visiting our Covenant of Love website to learn more and register for our Diocese’s marriage preparation courses.
