Marriage Preparation Ministry

Congratulations on your upcoming marriage! 

Welcome to the ‘Marriage preparation course’ at the Nativity of Our Lord parish. We hope this program will be an inspirational “engagement gift” to you both. 

Great marriages do not happen by accident. They require the deliberate, daily commitment of both spouses who, by God’s grace, are determined to nurture and safeguard their lives together. 

‘Marriage preparation course’ for Couples seeks to show you how to do just that. It is a virtue-based life-skills program that incorporates sound psychology and theology to help you understand and set patterns of thinking and acting to build the marriage God wants for you: a marriage that lasts a lifetime, blessing your family and everyone you know. 

This program will help you see life skills such as communication and conflict resolution that are most effective when they are rooted in virtue. This means intentionally creating habits that nurture and protect your marriage. And the theology of God’s Plan for Love, which presents a rich understanding of the Sacrament of Matrimony based on St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (TOB). This program will show you how to do that—it is the Church’s gift to you as you prepare for married life together. 

The program offers a unique learning environment. Each session follows a three-stage approach that helps you assimilate the material, discuss and personalize the principles, and set plans for applying the virtues in your everyday life together. These steps are designed to help you walk away with a concrete “plan” for your married life. This program will lead you, session by session, to think about issues that are critical to your long-term happiness.

We want to do all we can to help you build a strong marriage that will withstand the storms and endure the dry times. This program is a great supplement to other marriage preparation training you may be doing now. 

We are pleased to announce that our parish has adopted the marriage program recommended by Archdiocese of Toronto, the ‘Joy-Filled Marriage’ 

What is Joy-Filled Marriage Program?

Joy-Filled Marriage program is a marriage preparation program designed to offers a comprehensive approach to marriage preparation that covers not only the sacramentality and theology of marriage, but the practical life skills necessary to live out the rich Catholic vision of marriage.

Founded and grounded through the ‘Theology of the Body’ by Pope John Paul II

The Joy-Filled Marriage program consists of two components—Life Skills for Couples and God’s Plan for Love. These are complemented by a beautiful Couple’s Journal.

Helping prepare engaged couples to embrace God’s plan for the sacrament of matrimony is an honor and a privilege. In today’s climate, it is also a challenge. Joy-Filled Marriage is a marriage preparation program designed to meet that challenge. The two components of the program—Life Skills for Couples and God’s Plan for Love—incorporate rich Catholic theology with sound psychology.

Our upcoming marriage preparation course is, Fall 2026 - September 15 to November 10!

If you are interested, please click here for registration. And please call the parish office at (416) 621-2732 to arrange a meeting with our pastor Fr. Jan