“The family is the domestic church. It is the first and vital cell of society. The future of the world and of the Church, therefore, passes through the family. Dear families of Australia: this is your vocation and your happiness today and for ever: to put on the Lord Jesus Christ and to walk in his light!”
Pope Saint John Paul II
Perth, 1986
Marriage Preparation
In the Catholic Church, preparing for marriage involves is about much more than planning a ceremony and reception. Marriage preparation is about just that: preparing to live out a life-long marriage. Corio Lara Catholic Parish encourages engaged couples to use SmartLoving for their marriage preparation.
SmartLoving is an intensive online course, supplemented by in-person meetings with a mentor couple and/or your celebrant. The time you invest in SmartLoving will help you lay the foundations for a happy and holy life-long marriage.
A standard marriage preparation program integrating SmartLoving would look like this:
- Meet with celebrant to initiate marriage preparation
- 9 online lessons of approx. 90 minutes each
- Meet with mentor couple and/or celebrant after every third session
- Rehearsal
- Nuptial Mass / Service
SmartLoving is designed to be completed over nine consecutive weeks but your celebrant may be able to arrange for you to complete the course over a longer period if necessary.
Before registering for SmartLoving, make sure that you have spoken to or met with your priest celebrant and received his approval to use SmartLoving. He may also give you the contact information for a mentor couple from the parish. If you are assigned a mentor couple, be sure to select “Yes, we want to have a sponsor couple” at reggstration, then click “Add to cart” and proceed to payment.
Once you have purchased SmartLoving Engaged, you will be able to access the course. The first segment of the course is “Lesson 0: Admin.” Complete this carefully, reading all the information. Since your registration includes printed workbooks, you will not need to order any from the “Workbook” section of the “Admin 0” tab. You will also need to input information about your celebrant, including his email address, and about your sponsor couple if you have one.
Natural Fertility Management and Family Planning
Natural Family Planning
We live in a culture that has separated procreation from sex through artifical contraception, but this is not God’s way. Openness to life is a key element of God’s plan for human sexuality, and therefore to our happiness. Natural Family Planning refers to methods of naturally regulating the birth of children in a way that preserves openness to the possibility of life.
Natural Fertility Services Melbourne
Natural Fertility Services Melbourne is one of 13 nation-wide affiliated members of the Australian Council of Natural Family Planning Inc. They offer education in natural effective fertility management methods so couples can plan their family. They are approved and partly funded by the Catholic Bishops of Australia.
Billings LIFE
The Billings Ovulation Method is a natural method of fertility management pioneered by Melbourne couple Doctors John and Evelyn Billings. Billings offer in-person and online education for couples seeking to manage their fertility naturally.
Marriage Enrichment
The Marriage Kit
The Marriage Kit is an online course for married couples who want a lasting, passionate relationship. All marriages go through their ups and downs – times of pressure and times of peace. No matter where you are at as a couple, it is so important to invest in your relationship together, to take the time to learn new skills, and to master what you are already good at. This course takes a refreshing look at what it takes to build and maintain a helathy and happy relationship.
Marriage Encounter
Marriage Encounter is a weekend away, offering married couples a special kind of “time out”, a different kind of “weekend getaway”. It is an opportunity to recharge your relationship batteries and more deeply explore the precious nature of your relationship. It gives you the tools to keep your passion alive in a gentle, nurturing environment, away from the pressures and distractions of daily living. Marriage Encounter is for couples with sound marriages who want to take their relationship a step further and enrich their marriage.
Breakthrough
This course is designed for an individual spouse in a distressed marriage. All marriages have periods of distress. When a marriage is in distress, often only one spouse is in a position to make a start on improving the situation. Breakthrough provides a structured process to support you to get clarity on your situation, learn practical strategies, and find a measure of healing.