“Marriage preparation has to be seen and put into practice as a gradual and continuous process.”

St. John Paul II wrote these words in Familiaris Consortio (On the Christian Family in the Modern World). In this exhortation, he introduced the concept of a three-stage marriage preparation process: remote, proximate and immediate (Familiaris Consortio, 66). In a previous blog post, we briefly described the three stages and discussed what constitutes proper marriage preparation according to Canon law. .

Here, we will further describe the process by summarizing the pastoral document entitled, Preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage, issued by the Pontifical Council for the Family.

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