Why is Marriage Preparation mandatory for Catholics and voluntary for Protestants and other religions?
The Catholic Church calls marriage a sacrament–one of the chief ways we experience and celebrate the presence of God in our life. Most other traditions do not. While almost everyone recognizes divorce as a problem, the Catholic Church regards the permanence of marriage as a requirement from God to be taken most seriously. Yet Catholics experience divorce at about the same rate as the general population. To be faithful to our belief in the sacredness of marriage, the Catholic Church feels a responsibility to do everything possible to assist a couple to effectively achieve a permanent, sacramental, holy marriage. No one believes that a weekend retreat or one day workshop guarantees a more successful marriage. But experience has demonstrated that it is usually helpful to challenge couples to consider and discuss the workshop topics–especially those that are sometimes uncomfortable or difficult to discuss. We believe there is a better foundation for a successful marriage with marriage pr
