A Small, Family Size Church

“The Joy of Yes forever” is the title of the marriage preparation course proposed by the Pastoral Family Ministry of Trivento (Campobasso) with the aim—the organizers explain—“of offering effective help not only to couples who will get married this year, but to all the engaged who want to deepen their couple’s life in accordance with the Christian proposal.”

Bishop Claudio Palumbo will welcome the participating couples on 15 October, at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Canneto near Roccavivara, and give them a special blessing during the celebration of Holy Mass.

The objective, says the letter sent to all the parish priests of the diocese, “is to give greater importance to the presence of parish priests in this process of preparation so that we can continue dialoguing with the couples even after the course.”
The observations and suggestions result from the discovery that “90% of the church weddings may be annulled because the human presuppositions and beliefs with regard to the sacrament are often lacking and they can certainly not be formed simply through these meetings before marriage.”
Therefore, the text continues, “by their presence and accompaniment, pastors and / or married couples can help the engaged to make a more conscious decision, freed from a great deal of conditioning, and to grow in the reliance on the grace of the sacrament.”