Getting married the Catholic way.
Getting married in the Catholic church has it's own sets of hurdles.
1. Taking the FOCCUS survey.
Here is the desicription of the program:
* FOCCUS is neither a test nor a way to predict the future. It is designed to help you target the topics you need and want to talk about as a couple. It can help you study, understand and communicate openly about many things that are important to your relationship.
* FOCCUS scoring sorts each partner's responses into categories and patterns to help you recognize your areas of strength or challenge.
* FOCCUS scoring provides "Areas for Discussion" in each category that include topics on which you disagree or are uncertain or answer in ways that the authors' think may be problematic for you. "Areas of Agreement" list topics on which you have agreement and certainty and can affirm you.
It's pretty long (150+ questions), but they're all Agree/Disagree/Unsure.
2. Pre-Cana Weekend or Catholic Engageged Encounter. It's a weekend that you spend with a married couple and ~15 other engaged couples. It's usually done at a retreat house. They conduct presentations on marriage issues and then you and your partner go off somewhere to talk about your answers. Oh yeah, and you're not allowed to sleep together - that whole Catholic thing...
I know that this is a good thing to do. I know that pre-marrital counselling is a positive thing. However, having been on many Catholic retreats, I am simply not looking forward to this. I don't like how there are all these assumptions that the God that they are preaching about, the religion that they are discussing, is the same as what I believe just because I identify as Catholic.
Sometimes I don't even know why I am still Catholic. The Church is part of who I am, but it's like that relative that you find somewhat embarrassing. It's a love/hate thing. I like going to Church most of the time. I like the community, the singing, the ceremony. But honestly, sometimes, the Church just pisses me off.
Whatever, I'm still going to the weekend retreat tonight. I'll let you know how it goes after it's over on Sunday...
1. Taking the FOCCUS survey.
Here is the desicription of the program:
* FOCCUS is neither a test nor a way to predict the future. It is designed to help you target the topics you need and want to talk about as a couple. It can help you study, understand and communicate openly about many things that are important to your relationship.
* FOCCUS scoring sorts each partner's responses into categories and patterns to help you recognize your areas of strength or challenge.
* FOCCUS scoring provides "Areas for Discussion" in each category that include topics on which you disagree or are uncertain or answer in ways that the authors' think may be problematic for you. "Areas of Agreement" list topics on which you have agreement and certainty and can affirm you.
It's pretty long (150+ questions), but they're all Agree/Disagree/Unsure.
2. Pre-Cana Weekend or Catholic Engageged Encounter. It's a weekend that you spend with a married couple and ~15 other engaged couples. It's usually done at a retreat house. They conduct presentations on marriage issues and then you and your partner go off somewhere to talk about your answers. Oh yeah, and you're not allowed to sleep together - that whole Catholic thing...
I know that this is a good thing to do. I know that pre-marrital counselling is a positive thing. However, having been on many Catholic retreats, I am simply not looking forward to this. I don't like how there are all these assumptions that the God that they are preaching about, the religion that they are discussing, is the same as what I believe just because I identify as Catholic.
Sometimes I don't even know why I am still Catholic. The Church is part of who I am, but it's like that relative that you find somewhat embarrassing. It's a love/hate thing. I like going to Church most of the time. I like the community, the singing, the ceremony. But honestly, sometimes, the Church just pisses me off.
Whatever, I'm still going to the weekend retreat tonight. I'll let you know how it goes after it's over on Sunday...