Marriage & Family Life

The Choice Wine: 7 Steps to a superabundant marriage is a pathway to authentic marital happiness. Couples will learn how to virtually divorce-proof their marriages, experience the superabundant love and mercy of God and realize a foretaste of paradise in their marriages and families.

The Choice Wine is a nine week, interactive, multi-media program specifically designed for married couples. The timing is flexible, though it is ideally suited to be offered during the Fall in the nine weeks preceding Thanksgiving and again during the Spring, coinciding with Lent

Married couples meet once a week for approx. 1.5-2 hours, including refreshments, opening and closing prayers, material presentation, and small group discussion. This program can be used for the newly married (first five years) or with married couples of all age groups.  The program consists of DVDs presentation with trained parish facilitator(s) help to lead the group sharing that are a part of each presentation.

The Choice Wine, can be used in:

• a parish setting with newly married couples in their first five years of marriage
• a parish setting for all married couples.
• small groups in the home.
• a parish weekend retreat
• home study for Individual couples

For more information, please visit the program website at www.thechoicewine.org, or call (281) 974-3541.

Program Costs

The Choice Wine Home Version – $99.95
The Choice Wine Book – $16.95
(Prices as of 7/2016 and may be subject to change without notice.)

Dynamic Catholic presents, Better Together Marriage Preparation and Enrichment Program, which helps couples create great marriages. You dream about your wedding day, your honeymoon, and growing old together. What about everything in between? BETTER TOGETHER equips you with the tools you need to build a lasting, happy, and faith-filled marriage. The program includes short and engaging videos, Marriage Prep/Enrichment Inventory, and a Couple’s Guide Package.

For more information, please visit the program website or call (859) 980-7900.

A 12 session DVD and manualized presentation used in a group or individual couple setting that explores the realities of marriage, and different aspects of the sacrament of marriage.

In twelve sessions, Beloved explores the essential realities of Marriage, dealing with the deepest spiritual, emotional, and practical aspects of what the sacrament means for those preparing to get married as well as those who yearn for a richer married life. Through an exploration of Scripture, Tradition, and Church teaching, God’s plan for Marriage will come alive.

This program will help you with that exploration, giving time-tested tools and advice to make the experience informative, inspirational, and life-changing through:

• Effective use of the videos and guides
• Impactful discussion questions
• Detailed teaching
• Outlines and insights for leadership
• Helps for marriage preparation
• Helps for marriage enrichment classes and retreats

The Beloved Parish Edition has been structured for flexible use in either a Marriage Preparation or Marriage Enrichment setting.

The Beloved Home Edition has been structured for use by couples at home with more focus on personal reflection.

Program Costs

Beloved Parish Edition – $149.95  (DVD BOX SET of 12 DVDs)

Beloved Couple’s kit – Marriage Enrichment – $194.85 (Includes 1 Beloved Parish Edition DVD Set, and 2 Couples Guides)

Beloved Home Edition – DVD Set – $59.95 (The Beloved Home Edition is comprised of the first six episodes of the full Beloved Parish Edition, plus two Couple’s Guides for marriage enrichment)

For more information, please visit the program website at www.lighthousecatholicmedia.org/beloved, or call (866) 767-3155.

The BEATITUDES:

A Couple's Path to Greater Joy
 

What The Program Is About

This marriage enrichent program explores the Beatitudes as the path to holiness in Christian marriage.  Holiness is the source of joy in marriage. 

The program invites couples to reflect on their relationship and guides them to understand marriage as their vocation.  The videos and the book provide the input for each of the six sessions, and the handouts provide conversation starters to help couples reflect privately on their marriage. 

Saint John Paul II taught us: "People are made for happiness... It is told in the Book of Genesis: God created man and woman in paradise, Eden, because he wanted them to be happy... The 'Sermon on the Mount' marks out the map of this journey.  The eight Beatitudes are the road signs that show the way."  (John Paul II - World Youth Day 2002)

                                                 https://www.happy-together.net/the-beatitudes-a-couples-s-path-to-greater-joy/ 

The REFOCCUS© Marriage Enrichment Inventory is a packet of five questionnaires that a married couple can use and score by themselves, as part of a weekend retreat, or in five weekly evenings in which the general topical areas are discussed with other couples. REFOCCUS is ideal for married couples who wish to spend time and energy on their relationship, but desire a little direction and skill building assistance in doing so.

The REFOCCUS© Marriage Enrichment Inventory is a growth and enrichment tool, which can be taken by a married couple at any stage of their marital relationship.

Couples independently indicate their agreement or disagreement with statements presented in six different sections of the REFOCCUS© Inventory, which can be taken over the course of days or weeks to allow the couple time for in-depth discussion and consideration. The inventory is not intended for use by individuals in seriously troubled marriages.

Contact
For more information, please visit the program website at www.foccusinc.com, or call (877) 883-5422.

Program Costs
REFOCCUS Marriage Enrichment Inventory Packet (Spanish or English) – $25
(Prices as of 7/2016 and may be subject to change without notice.)

Implementing a marriage mentor program can be an exciting and powerful addition to the ministry or outreach of your church or community.

• For premarital and newlywed couples, Marriage Mentors provide helpful role models during the premarital stage and first year of marriage.
• For married couples, meeting with Marriage Mentors can provide hope, enrichment, and direction for their marriage

PREPARE/ENRICH is the leading relationship inventory and skill-building program used nationally and internationally. It is built on a solid research foundation and significantly improves a couple’s relationship. PREPARE/ENRICH is custom tailored to a couple’s relationship and provides couple exercises to build their relationship skills.

With PREPARE/ENRICH, you will not just get a packet of instructions to figure out on your own. With our day-long workshops, you’ll get thorough training on the program, providing you with the skills you need to use the PREPARE/ENRICH materials most effectively. You’ll learn how to:

• Administer the online assessment
• Interpret couples’ reports
• Provide useful feedback to couples
• Guide couples’ exercises
• Teach proven relationship skills
• Work more effectively with couples

For more information about the program, to find a facilitator in your area or how to become a facilitator, please visit the program website at www.prepare-enrich.com, or call 1 (800) 331-1661.

Program Costs

PREPARE/ENRICH Group Program – $35.00
Marriage Mentor Manual – $30.00
(Prices as of 7/2016 and may be subject to change without notice.)

Christian Family Movement (CFM) helps establish and support small discipleship groups for couples and families. Discipleship is accomplished through teaching one to use the methodology of observe, judge, act in their daily lives – observing the situations around us, judging them in the light of Christ’s teaching and acting to make a difference. CFM is a life-charging ministry for families of all shapes, sizes and stages. #CFMACT

For more information on how to become a member and CFM groups in your area, please contact Lauri Przybysz (800) 581 – 9824, [email protected]) or visit the organization website at www.cfm.org​. 

Active Chapter Locations:
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Hermosa Beach  
Contact Person: John and Mary Poprac – (310) 375-9242

St. Lawrence Martyr Redondo Beach
Contact Person: John and Mary Poprac – (310) 375-9242, Denise Geltz (310) 375-7931

St. John Fisher, Rancho Palos Verdes
Contact Person: Frank and Joan Lee – (310) 373-1783​

A weekend retreat for couples with presentations, and experiences focused on improving communication between couples and strengthening marriages.

A series of presentations made by the Presenting Team, consisting of 3 married couples and 1 priest. Each presentation builds on the last as we examine ourselves, our behaviors and attitudes, our relationship with our spouse and God. Communication tools are taught on the weekend helping couples connect in healthy, constructive ways on areas that can deepen their intimacy and connectedness.

Marriage Encounter Weekends have been given in the US since 1967. Decades of research, planning and tried and true wisdom have gone into the content of the Weekend and how it unfolds for couples and religious.  We ask all participants to attend ALL talks and participate intently using the tools with their Spouse in order to maximize their experience.

All sharing between spouses is PRIVATE, and this is NOT a weekend to solve problems! This Weekend will help couples in good marriages communicate even better.

• There are some “Non-residential” parish-based Weekends (held Saturday and Sunday only) currently being piloted at parishes in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.  In these programs the participants return to their homes Saturday evening and resume the program early Sunday morning.

For more information about cost and program specifics, please visit the program website at www.wwme.org. To find an upcoming Marriage Encounter weekend in your area, please visit the “Find a weekend” section of the website at www.wwme.org/find-a-weekend.

Hector and Gloria Reyes: (562) 832-0460 (Lakewood, Cerritos, Whittier, Santa Fe Springs, Downey)
Louis and Jennifer Paredes: (626) 334-3318 (San Gabriel Region)
Tony and Lynn Fernandez: (818) 383-6399 (San Fernando)
Anthony and Val Mena: (310) 515 -3522 (San Pedro)

Call any couple on the list, they will be glad to help or direct you to the correct organizing couple.

The Marriage Encounter and Family Movement of California (MEFM), previously known as the Marriage Encounter in the Filipino Perspective (MEFP), is a spiritual movement dedicated to promote, support and strengthen the Sacrament of Marriage. The weekends start on Friday evening and conclude Sunday evening. Weekends are facilitated by trained team of married couples and 4 deacons, with presentations focused on improving communication and examination of the relationship.  Supplemental functions and meetings are held throughout the year to support couple’s progress.

CFC provides a continuing program of pastoral and spiritual formation which includes Church teachings, Scriptures, Christian relationships, recollections and retreats. We are one with the Church and regularly seek her guidance through our Spiritual Director. Its members support their parish priests and are available for parish services. CFC is a working model for the development of Basic Ecclesial Communities and can hasten the formation of a strong and vibrant parish community.

For more information, please visit the organization website at couplesforchristusa.org.