The Marriage Course is returning to Saint Benedict Parish on Monday, October 16th! Created by the same church that launched Alpha, The Marriage Course is a series of seven sessions designed to help couples invest in their relationship and build a stronger one. Over 1 million couples from 127 countries have taken the Marriage Course, and you can, too. 

The Marriage Course is for any couple who has been together for two or more years and is looking for practical support to strengthen their relationship. The course is offered to any couple, whether they are married or not. It is designed to help couples build strong foundations, learn to communicate more effectively, and resolve differences well. The course here at Saint Benedict is hosted online, which enables any couple to attend, regardless of physical location. And although the course will be on Monday nights, any couple whose schedule will not allow them to take part on Mondays can be accommodated.

Over seven sessions, couples will explore the topics of strengthening connections between spouses, the art of communication, conflict resolution, the power of forgiveness, the impact of family, sex, and love in action. Using the knowledge and skills practiced in this course has the power to make every couple who participates stronger in life, too. 

Each week, guests watch an episode of the series, which is around 45 minutes in length, with breaks for conversations. Each episode delves into a topic with guests, relationship experts, and relevant teaching. The heart of the course is the discussion. Doing the course online helps provide space for couples to have private, intimate conversations, which is essential for the course.

Like Alpha, this course has been praised by Catholics, including church leaders. Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, the President of the Pontifical Council for the Family at the Vatican, said, “I have seen how 'The Marriage Course' is a beautiful ecumenical resource that helps couples invest afresh in their marriage in a real and practical way for the challenges of modern life.” 

Rosemary and John Kuehn, our facilitators, first took the course believing they already had a strong marriage, but the course helped them to make it even better. They came into the course hoping to build knowledge about how to share it with others, but they also experienced (and put into practice) a renewed love for each other, which helped them to build stronger relationships with their children, other family, and friends.

We invite you to register for the course at saintbenedict.ca/marriagecoursesaintbenedict.ca/marriagecourse. Please note that although unmarried couples are welcome to take part, this is not a marriage preparation course.