Prayerbook For Engaged Couples

Newly revised, this is the perfect gift for engaged couples to help them develop a practice of prayer that will nourish them throughout married life.

Joined by Grace introduces engaged and newly married couples to the rich traditions of Catholic prayer: how Catholics pray, texts of our most commonly used prayers, and a primer on devotions. A warm invitation to the faith and a simple approach to Catholicism, Joined by Grace is a book for beginners and those who want to know more about Catholic prayer life. The book offers guidance about the ways to pray, background information on prayers and devotions, and simple how-to-instructions. Family members and friends, as well as pastors, mentor couples, and others working in marriage ministries will find this a perfect gift for engaged and newly married couples. Couples can learn how to pray spontaneously, offer thanks and praise, petition God, and express sorrow. There is guidance on blessings, praying with scripture, and liturgical prayer. The book also can be used to learn common Catholic prayers such as the Our Father, Doxology, and Hail Mary. Beyond the most essential Catholic prayers, the book offers insight and instruction for participating in the great devotions of the Church such as the Stations of the Cross, the Rosary, the Angelus, and Eucharistic Adoration. The last part of the book offers meditations on the seven sacraments as conduits of grace in our everyday lives.

Who you choose to marry is one of the most important decisions of your life. This decision affects everything that will happen to you from that point forward. So how much have you and your significant other prayed together about your shared life to come? The best time to start praying for your marriage is before you say, "I do." This devotional guide helps you learn how to pray together for twelve specific areas of your relationship, including · the purpose of marriage · communication and conflict · spiritual, emotional, and sexual intimacy · understanding your roles and your differences · friendship and romance · money · parenting · and more It may sound like a cliché when you hear the old adage that "couples who pray together stay together," but the reality is that the divorce rate for couples who pray together, out loud, on a consistent basis is less than one percent. Prayer is key to a strong and lasting relationship. The Ready or Knot Prayer Guide shows you how to develop a lifelong habit to sustain a lifelong marriage.

Marriage and family life are the future of the Church and of the world. As Saint Pope John Paul II wrote, "The future of humanity passes by way of the family." For this reason, after preaching the Gospel and celebrating the sacraments, marriage and family life is one of my highest priorities as a priest. We can look at our culture and lament the disintegration of marriages and families, or we can look to the hope that we see in families that are united in Christ and flourishing in his love. In fact, there is great hope and encouragement I see in so many wonderful couples who have made the Lord the center of their lives. Whenever I prepare a couple for marriage or meet with a couple for spiritual and pastoral counseling, I nearly always ask about their prayer life, both individually and as a couple, because a life of prayer must be the foundation of a marriage, and marriages thrive where prayer is central. Of course, there is the saying: "The family that prays together, stays together." Well, one of the most stunning statistics about marriage confirms that this is absolutely true: the divorce rate for couples who pray together every day is less than 1%. And that alone should give couples the motivation to begin daily prayer together. This statistic shouldn't surprise us though, because if God is real (and he is), and if he loves us and wants to help couples love one another (and he does), then it makes perfect sense that the couple who prays together will receive the graces they need to live a happy and holy marriage. This prayer book for married couples came about as a result of conversations Cameron Thompson and I have had about the importance of helping couples learn to pray, both individually and as a couple. We wanted to provide something simple and straightforward, but which will help couples begin a life of prayer together. My hope is that this booklet will give couples the encouragement they need to invite the Lord deeper into their marriage through prayer together as a couple. May God bless you. Father Nick VanDenBroeke (From the Forward by Rev. Nick VandDenBroeke)

How can prayer help your marriage? Many couples are only concerned with the wedding day. In reality, what happens after the wedding day in days, months, and years to follow is what is really important. Marriage takes purposeful and persistent prayer. Prayer can help couples to develop in dedicated, determined, and “I do” as well as “I will” ways as your marital season of love grows in a fruitful way. These prayers for couples’ prayer book will truly, in prayerful and powerful ways, help your spouse, you, and others learn to lovingly and faithfully understand that difference prayer makes in a marriage. Please don’t put off reading and praying this prayer book any longer. Today is a day of together forever. Again, desire to pray and read this inspiring book as a couple and as an individual. Read on! Pray on!

Marriage in the Lord: Forming Couples for a Sacramental Marriage provides marriage ministers with fully prepared formation sessions in order to facilitate discussion with engaged couples preparing to be married in the Catholic Church in a dynamic and meaningful way.

Family life today can be so fast-paced and hectic that couples rarely carve out the time to pray together. Here is one way for husbands and wives to both pray together and benefit from the beauty and wisdom of Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation The Joy of Love (Amoris Laetitia). Each two-page reflection contains an excerpt from Pope Francis' letter, a question for couples to ponder, and a short prayer that they can pray alone or together. Couples will be blessed by the Holy Father's words as well as by the experience of praying for their marriage and their family.