Congratulations on Your Engagement!
The Catholic Church and your diocesan community support couples to help them stay centered on Christ and form strong, lasting marriages.
Three Requirements for All Engaged Couples Wishing to Marry in the Diocese of Covington:
1. Couples should contact a priest or deacon as soon as they decide they desire marriage. Please allow at least 6 to 9 months for marriage preparation.
2. Attend one of the four listed marriage preparation programs at least six months prior to your wedding. Since marriage preparation programs often fill quickly, it is best to register two to three months before the program date. See course and registration information below.
Living Marriage as a Sacrament
LIVING MARRIAGE AS A SACRAMENT
This program is held at St. Barbara Church, 4042 Turkeyfoot Road, Erlanger, KY 41018, on two consecutive Saturdays with a large group presentation, private couple interaction, and small group discussion. The focus is on a couple’s relationship and the beauty and importance of the Sacrament of Matrimony. Time: 9:00 a.m.– 3:00 p.m. both Saturdays.
Cost per couple is $125
The dates for 2026 are:
January 17 & 24, 2026
April 18 & 25, 2026
June 13 & 20, 2026
September 26, 2026, & October 3, 2026
***For more information and to register for Living Marriage as Sacrament, Click Here.
For any questions, please contact Eric and Lauri Nienaber at [email protected].
- St. Barbara Church
- 4042 Turkeyfoot Road
- Erlanger, KY 41018
Catholic Engaged Encounter
COVINGTON-CINCINNATI CATHOLIC
ENGAGED ENCOUNTER
The weekend retreat offered by the Cincinnati-Covington Catholic Engaged Encounter (CEE) ministry offers couples a unique opportunity to look at their commitment to each other in a deeper way as they prepare for marriage. Free from the pressure and distractions of the outside world, couples are given 30 plus hours to honestly and intensively dialogue about their prospective lives together. The opportunity to receive the sacrament of reconciliation and attend Mass is a part of the weekend.
Two married couples make up the presenting team and share brief stories about their marriages and the impact of the Sacrament of Matrimony on their lives, with the goal of encouraging participants to explore their own attitudes and expectations. The team may also include a priest or deacon to offer additional ideas on how couples can continue loving each other, even amid the pressures of the world.
The engaged couples should anticipate discussing each other’s strengths and weaknesses, desires, and ambitions, as well as their attitudes about money, sex, children, family, and the role of the church and society in their future marriages. Our motto is “A wedding is a day, a marriage is a lifetime.” Most people spend huge amounts of money and many months planning for their wedding. CEE is about preparing for what most hope will last 50 or 60 years — your marriage.
Location:
Catholic Engaged Encounter is offered at various parish locations in the Greater Cincinnati area.
Registration: Visit the Covington-Cincinnati Catholic Engaged Encounter website.
For more information: e-mail the Cincinnati-Covington CEE Local Community at [email protected] or call Ashley Altenau at (513) 479-1700.
Three to get Married
Three to get Married
Date: TBD
Times: Starts Friday at 6:30 PM ends Sunday at 3:00 PM
Location: Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center
Who can attend? Engaged couples who are preparing for marriage.
Price: $325 per couple. This includes individual bedrooms for Friday and Saturday night, wine/cheese event, all meals, and materials for the retreat.
Contact person for additional questions?
Vicki Jung at 513-260-2373 or [email protected]
What will the retreat cover?
- Identifying and deepening God’s role in your future marriage.
- Managing finances as a couple.
- Living God’s mission and communicating expectations.
- Exploring the beauty of Natural Family Planning and Theology of the Body.
- Setting healthy boundaries with your family of origin.
- Planning for better or for worse.
- Creating healthy emotional and psychological attachments.
- Your relationship to God as a couple.
Who runs the retreat? This retreat is sponsored by the Regnum Christi Movement of Greater Cincinnati. Mentoring couples include Regnum Christi members who are in different stages of their marriage. Spiritual accompaniment and talks will be led by Fr. Thomas Flynn, LC.
Featured speakers include family practitioners Amber and Paul Day M.D., and Emily Lewis, Licensed Professional Counselor.
The Archdiocese of Cincinnati Office of Marriage and Family Evangelization will recognize the certificate of attendance as satisfactory for the retreat portion of marriage preparation.
What to bring? Results from your Catholic Couple Checkup questionnaire and personal items for the weekend.
Here is the registration link:
Agapè Catholic Marriage Preparation - catholicmarriageprep.com
Visit https://www.catholicmarriageprep.com/
CatholicMarriagePrep.com is based on Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body and is the only online pre-Cana program offering personalized one-on-one mentoring by trained married couples. These mentors guide couples throughout the entire process. CatholicMarriagePrep.com encourages couples to deepen their relationships with each other and with Christ. A key objective of their marriage preparation is to foster meaningful discussions between the future bride and groom, helping them build a foundation for a strong, healthy, holy, and Christ-centered marriage. The program is available in English, Spanish, and French, and offers separate courses for Convalidation, Military, and Urgent Care. Register today!