Preparing Couples to Marry in the Catholic Church
Group Experience
Flexible format
Digital resources
Easy to run
Theology of the Body
Most parishes and dioceses use the SmartLoving Engaged On-Demand (SLE OD) course with the option for couples to choose, or be paired with, a local married (Sponsor) couple to accompany them via the Sponsor course. This allows the preparation experience to be paced to the couple’s needs, delivering a more flexible experience.
However, some communities prefer to host a group program where they can interact directly with couples as they are encountering the material. The SmartLoving Engaged Group Experience (SLE GX) course is an adaptation of the On-Demand course for use in a group setting. It is also suitable for use in couple-to-couple mentoring.
Group Experience (GX) Format
The SLE GX format is designed to be led by a capable leader either in a physical setting such as a community hall or private home (in-person mode), or via a video-conference facility such as Zoom, Goto Webinar or MS Teams etc (webinar mode).
In both modes, following introductory remarks and prayer, the core content is provided via plug-and-play videos (one for each lesson). Title pages in the video indicate when the video should be paused for participants to complete an activity.
Like the on-demand course, the GX version consists of 9 Lessons of approximately 1.5 hours/lesson (~14 hours in total), plus homework activities. Each lesson has several units comprised of video input and a series of activities which may include:
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Sharing reactions to the teachings presented
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Individual Reflection (survey/inventory, reflection questions, step by step process)
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Couple sharing/discussion
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Connection Rituals and Relationship Tools to practice in session and at home
SLE GX is augmented by additional digital resources available in the SL Learning platform which is available to all participants and leaders.
Course Overview
Imprimatur
SmartLoving Engaged has been reviewed by the appropriate ecclesial authorities.
Nihil Obstat: Most Rev. Michael Kennedy, Bishop of Armidale
Imprimatur: +Most Reverend Anthony Fisher OP, Archbishop of Sydney
June 13, 2019
View the Imprimatur: here
View the documentation of edits made to the existing print materials: here
Testimonial
"We finished delivering the first SmartLoving Engaged Live course in NZ last month and loved it. We were 3 weeks into it when the lockdown started and eventually arranged to finish the second half via Zoom.
The quality of the Smart Loving course is outstanding and in particular meets our needs to provide something for new facilitator couples to use. It is not an exaggeration to say we were both 'blown away" by what you have developed and the video talks are brilliant.
We can't fault it at all. The written material-both the Mentor Books and Couple Workbooks are clear and easy to follow. Our marriage ministry priest was apparently very impressed when shown the workbooks by a couple he is marrying.
We haven't seen the couple evaluations but hear they are glowing. We thought the COVID interruption would may be have negatively affected the couple reviews but it appears not. It is hard to put into words how impressed we are by what you have created and can only say God Bless You."
Become a SmartLoving Engaged Group Leader
You're busy and we want to make this as easy as possible for you to get great results. Here's a suggested game plan to get started.
You don’t want any surprises so the team should first experience the course, doing the activities and using the opportunity to nurture your marriages BEFORE you start planning your outreach course. This could be done as a group using the SLE GX course or individually using the SL Sponsor course (on-demand) and will allow you to encounter the digital content and to be familiar with the full suite of resources and formats available.
Get together and get practical as you plan how to implement your vision. Embed the whole process in prayer and consider: scheduling, budget, registration, venue, and materials (workbooks, pens, hospitality etc).
Create a promotion plan with enrolment targets. Craft your message and create bulletin adverts, flyers, posters, social media posts etc., and contact neighbouring parishes. For promotional copy and artwork go to SLE GX course > Lesson 0 Admin.
Plan your first session using the step-by-step guide. Allocate roles (presenter, sponsor/mentor, hospitality, etc). The day before, enroll your couples in SLE GX learning centre.
A Message for Users of the SmartLoving Engaged Live format
Unlike the original format of SL Engaged (6 sessions, 2007/2015), SLE GX harmonizes the course content across all formats allowing us to update the content uniformly and minimize printing costs. This ultimately provides a superior experience for participants and makes it easier and more affordable for you as a leader to provide marriage formation tailored to your community needs.
If you already have a SmartLoving Engaged Mentor Guide, you are welcome to continue using the Live format, but please be aware that we have limited stock of the Participant Workbooks.
On the other hand, if you are ready to transition to the SLE GX format, we'll waive the fee for Leader registration for you and all your team. Reach out if you need details [email protected]