Top 3
Expectations

Alex and Jordyn – Diocese of Austin, TX
His impression of the prep: I thought this was a wonderful course that I learned a lot from. It had a ton of relevant content and material that opened my eyes and allowed me to see things from a completely different perspective. I believe it benefitted us greatly and ultimately brought us closer together by going through this course.
Her impression of the prep: This class was very enlightening in many different ways, but I really enjoyed the practices, conversation, and self-reflection that was expected/required throughout the course. It allowed us to pause and talk about really intimate and serious topics that we had never either considered, knew about, or even realized was affecting our life. In a world where it seems so taboo to surrender your life to your spouse & God, and trying to live in accordance to the life God called you to live, it was so refreshing to focus on those themes throughout this course.
Did it meet his expectations: Yes, in my opinion it actually exceeded my expectations. I was not expecting to enjoy the entire course and the content as much as I did. Tying in real-world situations and reconnecting these different life experiences to scripture makes the world of a difference and you can see how God is intertwined into every part of our existence.
Did it meet her expectations: Yes, it met my expectations. I love that we got down to the root of God's sacramental gifts and why we should value them. I really never understood the significance behind everything that we practiced as Catholics, and this helped bring a lot of things full circle for me, especially the gift of marriage and what it means to God/the church.

Drew and Taylor – Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, TX
His impression of the prep: I think both Taylor and I got a lot out of working through these worksheets together. Reading the thorough and thoughtful explanations prepared for us was very insightful as well. I believe our marriage will definitely benefit from the work that we put into this course and the effort that you both put into preparing this course for us.
Her impression of the prep: This class helped us to explore our spirituality as a couple, and provided us with practical tools to help us keep Christ at the center when we endure relational hardship. Our instructors gave us excellent insight into the selected scripture readings, church teachings, and their own experiences as a couple devoted to Christ.
Did it meet his expectations: It exceeded my expectations. I learned so much through this course.
Did it meet her expectations: Absolutely! It facilitated so many fruitful discussions about important spiritual topics and about our relationship that we both appreciated.

James and Kobi – Diocese of Victoria, TX
His impression of the prep: This class was excellent because there were so many things that I relearned about the church and my faith. I also found the pride and confidence to having my fiancé engaging in my faith outside of attending mass and RCIA. I truly feel that what I have learned I will abide me for the rest of my life. This course has also helped me and my fiancé have a chance to actually sit down and discuss what we are expecting from and for our marriage and even our future family. I have to say that during this course we've bonded even closer on a spiritual level.
Her impression of the prep: I also think this course is excellent because I'm coming from the stance of not having a constant faith and now that I've found my way to the catholic church, I truly believe this is my calling and I'm blessed that my fiancé and his mother introduced me to the faith, Besides of converting to Catholicism in April of this year I have learned so much of the faith but the importance of faith for our marriage. I'm blessed that James and I have God as a stable in our relationship and we both plan on raising our family through the church. This course has helped me and James go into more depth conversations and understand of each other.
Did it meet his expectations: I think I over explained in my first answer but yes!
Did it meet her expectations: I also agree with James, yes!

Top 3

Parish Life

Noah and Paige – Archdiocese of Santa Fe, NM

Impacted his Faith: It has absolutely revived my faith. Often times it is easy to get caught up in day-to-day stress and routine, but working on this class has given me something to look forward to in my busy life. It has showed me that I need to slow down and give my time to appreciate all that God has blessed me with each and every day.
Impacted her Faith: Faith is my guiding light and this class worked to strengthen that faith even more. Like Noah said, I am rejuvenated and am excited for us to continue sharing our strong faith with each other now and for the rest of our lives.
His parish life plan: It is very important for both me and Paige that we attend church every Sunday, and when we have children, teach them about God and how to be active in the church.

Her parish life plan: Noah put it perfectly that we will continue attending church on Sundays and we will teach our kids as much as we can about God. Just to add to this, we also want our house to be filled with our faith as well. Creating a home with the loving and safe atmosphere that comes with letting God into our family's lives.

Addison and Fatima – Diocese of Santa Rosa, CA

Impacted his Faith: I believe that the course has ignited more faith in me than I had before as to the greater knowledge I have gained about matrimony and the further recommitment to that faith that I have gained through, for example, our declaration and agreement to abstinence before marriage.
Impacted her Faith: This course revived my faith. I find myself attending mass during the weekdays. It hasn't felt like a responsibility, rather it has filled me with immense peace and happiness. The modern world has placed standards for women: how to look, how to dress and even how to act. This course made me feel like I was much more than just flesh and bones. I felt more loved my God, and more loved by my fiancé.
His parish life plan: I would like to continue attending mass as much as possible and continue setting aside certain funds to whatever parish I attend. If there is a certain job that I can partake in at the parish while in holy matrimony, I'd love to apply whatever skills I have to the job as I learn more about the church.

Her parish life plan: I will definitely continue going to church. I have become more interested in the weekday masses. I go to these masses a couple of times during the week, but I am considering make this a routine. I would also like to donate more than just a few bills during mass. I'd like to give at least 10% of my earnings to the church.

Kyle and Jen– Diocese of Albany, NY

Impacted his Faith: Having not been raised in a strict Catholic family, I was aware of many of the subjects discussed within this class but did not have a firm grasp on the WHY. This course helped me understand the rationale of the importance of becoming married in the church and keeping God in the center of our relationship.
Impacted her Faith: It definitely brought me closer to God. It reminded me in many ways WHY we made the decision to get married in a Catholic Church and made me excited to do so. I'm excited to take what we learned in this course and implement it in our marriage and future family.
His parish life plan: I hope to attend more mass within our parish and join in prayer in Jen. Becoming connected with our community will allow me to identify opportunities to help others in need.

Her parish life plan: I'm excited to get more involved in our parish, by not only attending mass, but I am going to make an effort to share my talents with the church and become more active in the community as well as tithe. I want to get parish envelopes to actively financially contribute to the parish each week.

Top 3

Communication and Comments

Jacob and Katriona – Diocese of Joliet

How did it better your commutation: This course improved our communication because it brought up topics that we had not discussed enough about. It offered insight into important topics and reading what you both had to say ignited more conversation. It was a very helpful guide to navigate some of these tougher topics.

Appreciated most by him: I appreciated communication-building throughout the entirety of the course.

Appreciated most by her: I mostly appreciated the time to pray together after each assignment. It gave us time to reflect on the topic that we had just spent a lot of time on and to communicate with God on that topic.

Benjamin and Stefanie – Diocese of Toledo, OH

How did it better your commutation: This process allowed us to communicate better because it facilitated many topics that we wouldn’t have talked about normally. We thought we knew everything about each other, but this class definitely opened another level of insight between us.

Appreciated most by him: I appreciated the deep questions in each assignment that allowed me to think about my religious beliefs/spirituality and to apply it to our relationship because it would cause Stefanie and I to have serious conversations about our love for each other!

Appreciated most by her: I appreciated a lot of things from this course, but I appreciated our instructor’s responses on our assignments. Their responses were sometimes about things I never thought of. I really enjoyed their thought-provoking insight!         

Johnathon and Joie – Diocese of Joliet, IL

How did it better your commutation: We felt that this gave us a platform to connect and talk about serious issues together. Since we live apart and don’t get to see each other that often, this really gave us the opportunity to talk about things we did not necessarily have the time for

Appreciated most by him: I appreciated spending quality time discussing and exploring the concepts of faith with my future bride. I honestly feel closer to her after this and am grateful to add that sentiment to our foundation.

Appreciated most by her: I appreciated having to think deeper in my faith and what this marriage means to us with God at the center. There were many things I probably glossed over, before, but now I know how important they are to me and our marriage. I appreciate the tools given to be the best wife I can be for my husband.