101 Questions & Answers on Catholic Marriage Preparation

by Rebecca Nappi, Daniel Kendall SJ

This book will serve as a valuable guide both for people planning a Catholic wedding and for those preparing them for marriage. In addition, it can be used in marriage courses at the college level, in parishes and chapels, and as a reference book on Catholic practice for all readers. 101 Questions & Answers on Catholic Marriage Preparation provides both an overview of the Catholic Church's position and practice with regard to weddings in the Church as well as clear responses to questions (theological and mostly non-theological) that Catholic couples commonly ask when they are preparing for marriage. Written by a Catholic laywoman and a Catholic priest, this book looks at both the underlying theology and practical approaches to the Catholic wedding. The authors provide clear and readable guidance on preparations for the ceremony itself and answers to typical questions (101 of them) that arise during the first year of marriage. These · What is the Catholic understanding of Christian marriage? · Has the Church's view of "mixed marriages" changed in recent years? · Since the Church asks us to wait six months before we marry, what are the preparations we are expected to complete in the meantime? · Is a celibate priest in any position to talk about marriage to engaged people? · How realistic is the sex you see between couples in movies versus the reality of sex within marriage? · Is it true that the Church condemns artificial birth control? · Must the best man and the maid of honor be Catholics? · Do women still have to promise to obey their husbands? · What financial decisions must be made in the first year of marriage? †

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 3, 2005

Reviews

[Lindsay Wilcox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I work for a university parish. My pastor gave me 101 Questions and Answers on Catholic Marriage Preparation to read as I prepare to add marriage preparation to my duties at work. I'd already taken the day-long marriage packet workshop offered by the diocese, so I knew the finer points of completing the paperwork. I don't have any experience counseling couples and am not married or a vowed religious myself, though, so I needed some supplementary training.

I found the book interesting on several points. The authors offer a wider perspective on the history of marriage preparation in the Church in the U.S. than I’ve seen anywhere else. It’s probably my age, but I hadn’t known that the six-month-plus prep period was so recently instated. I also had no idea that mixed marriages (a Catholic to a non-Catholic) couldn’t be celebrated physically in the church building before Vatican II. I am not a fan of recent innovations that the authors condone, such as the unity candle or writing your own vows. In movies and TV, the spouses who write their own vows rarely make any promises (which is what vows are); they just read love letters out loud. I will concede that they are sometimes allowed. I just don’t like them and don’t want to encourage them.

This is a good beginner-level book for anyone who is Catholic and is thinking about marriage, who isn’t Catholic and is thinking about marrying a Catholic, or who might become Catholic and wants to know why the Catholic Church makes such a big deal about marriage. The short answer: It is a big deal! It’s never too early to start preparing for the rest of your life.