For Parish & Diocesan Leaders
Give your engaged couples the best start to married life
SmartLoving Engaged Online brings flexible, deep, catechumenate-style marriage preparation to your parish — trusted by 30+ dioceses and 20,000+ couples worldwide.
Graduate outcomes
★ Ecclesiastical approval granted by Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP, Sydney
TRUSTED BY
SmartLoving is honoured to work in partnership with so many Dioceses and Parishes around the globe.
THE PROCESS
Simple to run.
Transformative for couples.
Designed to be experienced over two to four months, Engaged Online responds to the Synod's call for marriage prep that resembles a catechumenate — not a once-off weekend course.
Step 1
Meet & Enrol
The Priest or Deacon meets with the engaged couple for paperwork and church booking, then invites them to enrol in SmartLoving Engaged. A printable brochure is provided to hand to couples. Optional: invite a married Sponsor Couple from the parish to accompany them.
Step 2
Course Participation
The couple completes one lesson per week at their own pace using rich video content, interactive quizzes, and workbook activities. If accompanied by a Sponsor Couple, both couples meet regularly over coffee to discuss key concepts using guided discussion questions.
Step 3
Graduation & Follow-Up
On completion, the couple receives a Course Report and Certificate. You receive their report directly, along with a Celebrant's Guide to facilitate a meaningful follow-up conversation. SmartLoving continues to support the couple with follow-up resources and the free Newlywed Program.
Proven impact
Numbers that speak for themselves
Measured outcomes from 2017 graduates of the Engaged Online program.
94%
Open to using Fertility Awareness Methods
90%
Open to going to Reconciliation (or a blessing)
85%
Willing to abstain from sex until the wedding
20%
Non-Catholics were interested in becoming Catholic
Flexible packages
Choose the track that fits your community
All three tracks include a 2-year couple access, a Course Report, and the Celebrant's Guide. Simply direct your couples to the track you prefer at enrolment.
Self-Paced
The simplest option. Couples work through the course independently and return months later with their Course Report for your review. Ideal when parish resources are limited.
2 years course access
Certificate & Course Report
Self-print workbooks
Free for Sponsor couples (optional)
Parish Sponsor
Build a marriage ministry in your parish. A married Sponsor Couple accompanies the engaged couple through regular face-to-face meetings — powerful formation for both couples.
2 years course access
Certificate & Course Report
4 printed workbooks
No training required for sponsors
SmartLoving Coach
For couples in special circumstances, a trained SmartLoving Coach meets with them 3 times as they progress through the course — face-to-face or via video conference.
2 years course access
Certificate & Course Report
2 printed workbooks
3 sessions with an SL Coach
Ecclesiastical Approval
Nihil Obstat: Most Rev. Michael Kennedy, Bishop of Armidale · Imprimatur: +Most Reverend Anthony Fisher OP, Archbishop of Sydney · Granted June 13, 2019
FREE ACCESS
Review the full course for free
See exactly what your couples will experience before referring a single couple.
Get instant access to the Sponsor version of the course — identical content, no time locks.
Get free course access
Create your SmartLoving account and review the course immediately.
Course curriculum
9 lessons that go deep, not just wide
Each lesson includes rich video content, couple activities, workbook reflections, and practical tools to use before the next lesson.
High production quality — genuinely engaging.
L1 Mission to Love
Practical insight into how your fiancé experiences love. Gratitude, affirmation, and making your efforts to love more effective.
L2 Dialogue: Being One
The L.I.F.E. communication framework for intimate, effective dialogue. Emotional Communion and practical everyday communication tips.
L3 Knowing Me, Knowing You
Examining attitudes, family of origin, roles, sexuality, and a strategy for processing emotional injuries from past relationships.
L4 Building Unity
Practical insight into how your fiancé experiences love. Gratitude, affirmation, and making your efforts to love more effective.
L5 Restoring Unity
Understand conflict dynamics and avoidance. Strategies for healing after hurt using the Stop-LIFE-Reflect-Connect reconciliation process.
L6 Sex: Sacred Embrace
Marital intimacy as communication, healing, and a sacramental renewal of vows. The theology of sex explored deeply and accessibly.
L7 Love Gives Life
The wonder of human fertility. How to live harmoniously with your bodies using modern, effective Fertility Awareness Methods.
L8 A Living Sign
The sacramentality of Catholic marriage. What you are committing to on your wedding day, and how to prepare your wedding liturgy.
L9 Soul Mates for Life
Spiritual intimacy and unique couple spirituality. How to pray together, what to pray for, and your marital fitness plan going forward.
L10 Final Questionnaire & Certificate
Short-answer questionnaire generates the Course Report and Completion Certificate. The celebrant receives the report directly for follow-up review.
Want a custom solution for your diocese or parish?
Our Partner Packages are designed for coordinators managing 10+ couples per year. Book an obligation-free video consultation and we'll tailor a package that fits your community's needs and existing resources.
Leader resources
Everything you need to get started today
Order a Leader Review Pack
Printed workbooks, Celebrant's Guide, Sponsor set-up guide, and brochures - shipped to your door.
Partner Packages
Cost-effective bulk packages for parishes and dioceses managing 10+ couples per year. Retain control, fund your ministry.
Downloadable Info Pack
- Printable brochures
- Celebrant Guide to the Course Report
- Parish Pack
- Digital course workbook
Marriage Ministry
Build a marriage ministry with minimum effort
Catholic marriage preparation in the 21st century is undergoing a radical transformation. Psychological sciences are developing deeper insights into what makes relationships work, and theological advances are equipping Catholics to more powerfully articulate the role of Matrimony in the mission of the Church.
New technologies now allow parishes to nurture the gift of Matrimony at every stage of community life. With the SmartLoving Sponsor system, your parish can initiate a genuine marriage ministry with minimum effort and powerful impact.
No training required
Sponsor couples simply accompany the engaged couple through the course, meeting over coffee to discuss lessons using guided questions. The course does the heavy lifting.
Enriches your married couples too
Sponsor couples revisit the principles of SmartLoving through the Sponsor version of the course — a powerful renewal experience for established marriages.
Scales to any parish size
Whether you prepare two couples a year or two hundred, the SmartLoving system adapts. Partner packages are available for high-volume coordinators.
Ongoing support
Pastoral care that continues after completion
SmartLoving doesn't stop at the wedding. Every couple in the program receives structured follow-up that extends the impact of their preparation well into married life.
Online Community & Support
All SmartLoving students have access to a live chat line and Help Centre for personalised assistance. Coaches monitor course comments and respond directly, and occasional webinars give couples space to ask questions in real time.
Personalised follow-up
Every lesson links to extension articles and activities for couples who want to go deeper. At course completion, couples indicate topics they'd like to explore further — triggering a personalised email series with targeted resources.
Free Newlywed Program
Included free with every Engaged registration. Starting after the honeymoon, couples receive a monthly email with a short formation activity in a 5-10-15 format: 5 mins input, 10 mins private reflection, 15 mins discussion. Addresses common newlywed tension points.