he One in Christ Marriage Seminar is designed to prepare engaged couples for the Sacrament of Marriage. It can be used for couples who are convalidating their marriage and for couples who would like a refresher course on marriage. The seminar is designed to be flexible. For example, there are ten presentations, so you may have the seminar on an entire weekend or do it over a period of two to three weekends. We have used it to prepare individual couples or couples in small groups. The seminar provides couples with an all-inclusive and comprehensive appreciation and knowledge of the Sacrament of Marriage. One in Christ presents both the sacramental theology and the practical “tools” of Christian Marriage so that couples reach an understanding of how marriage is a participation in the life of heaven and what that means for their lives together here on earth. The course takes the Hans Urs von Balthasar1 approach of presenting the truth, beauty and goodness of marriage and family life. This approach is very appealing to today’s couples, assaulted as they are by much secular negativity about marriage. Our goal is not just to present information on marriage, but rather to help couples

1 Hans Urs von Balthasar (12 August 1905 – 26 June 1988) was a Swiss theologian and priest-cardinal of the Catholic Church. He is considered one of the most important theologians of the 20th century. Balthasar is well known for his 16 volume systematics (Trilogy) which is divided into three parts: The Glory of the Lord, the first 7-volume work on 'theological aesthetics' (a theology based upon contemplation of the good, the beautiful, and the true). One of the often quoted passages from the entire Trilogy comes from the First Volume (Seeing the Form) of The Glory of the Lord: “Before the beautiful—no, not really before but within the beautiful—the whole person quivers. He not only 'finds' the beautiful moving; rather, he experiences himself as being moved and possessed by it.” Quoted in Edward T. Oakes, SJ, and David Moss, ed. The Cambridge Companion to Hans Urs von Balthasar (Cambridge University Press, 2004), 270.

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see the what, why and how of the Church’s teaching in relation to marriage. That is why we begin with the basic catechesis on the Catholic Faith and interweave it throughout the seminar. As a result, it becomes a catechesis reinvigorating the couples’ faith life within the context of marriage preparation. Deeply rooted in Scripture, Catholic Tradition, the Lives of the Saints and Papal Encyclicals, this seminar will prepare couples to see the truth, beauty and goodness of marriage and family life. Couples will come to see how God and His grace are the remedies and the quintessential means to a happy, healthy, holy and lasting marriage. This seminar includes a facilitator’s manual, one couple’s workbook, and a multimedia PowerPoint presentation on a DVD. The framework of each presentation consists of a thirty to sixty minute presentation followed by a short video, discussion questions and a prayer. The presentations include:

Following Christ in the Vocation of Marriage Covenantal Theology and the Properties of Marriage

Espoused Forever: The Sacraments of Marriage, Communion and Confession Covenantal Communication and the Moral Virtues

Marriage and Money: Almsgiving and Tithing Covenantal Life: The Unitive End of Marriage

Covenantal Love: The Procreative End of Marriage Contraception in Question

Planning your Family God’s Way: Natural Family Planning Facing Infertility: a Journey of Faith, Hope and Love (This talk also includes

the Church’s teaching on reproductive technologies).

This One in Christ Facilitator’s Manual was designed to give you an example of how the program would be presented. It contains all the speaker notes with the presentation goals, handouts, prayers, and articles on marriage. The One in Christ Couple’s Workbook is what we provide to our couples for the marriage seminar. The workbook has most of the speaker notes, except the facilitator notes, with the presentation goals, prayers, discussion questions, and articles on marriage. This is a

wonderful resource for the couples and facilitators to keep and continue to reflect upon in their marriage. By purchasing the couple’s workbook, it will also make it easier for presenters to refer to material in the presentation, such as longer quotes or handouts. You may also wish to encourage the couples to read some of the articles prior to the seminar in order to help prepare them for the presentations. All of the Microsoft® PowerPoint Presentations correspond to the presentations in the Facilitator’s Manual. At the end of each Microsoft® PowerPoint Presentation, there are videos of witnessing couples who give their personal testimony on the topic that was just presented. Most of the videos have been generously provided by The Gift Foundation.2 The videos for the Presentations include: Growth in Christ, Forever One, Forgiveness, Prayer, Almsgiving and Tithing, Natural Family Planning, three videos on the Ovulation Method, The Unitive End of Marriage and Chastity, and Facing Infertility: a Journey of Faith, Hope and Love. You will also notice additional videos that are not inserted in the presentations. These include: In Sickness and in Health, Fasting, Large Families, Head and Heart, and Words of Advice. These are a wonderful addition to the program. The one thing I have come to discover over the years is that most couples are extremely hungry for the Catholic understanding of truth, beauty and goodness about marriage and family life. The reason for many dysfunctional marriages is that God is no longer in the equation. That is why we decided to name the seminar One in Christ, to emphasize the fundamental belief that it takes three to get married: husband, wife and God. In an age when beauty, truth and goodness are no longer valued as gifts from God and the self is placed at the center of universe, it is hoped that this program inspires couples to see that marriage is about seeking the goodness, integrity, holiness and salvation of the other: their future spouse. As a result, couples come to discover that their vocation in marriage is to help each other get to Heaven.

2 The Gift Foundation is a non-profit organization located in Illinois. Their mission is to make available the Good News of Jesus Christ through extremely affordable media and other means. They focus primarily on marriage issues, believing that the fundamental community upon which all healthy communities are built is the community of marriage. Steven Habisohn, Founder of the Gift Foundation. (www.giftfoundation.org) All Rights Reserved 2009.

H O W T O O R D E R The One in Christ Marriage Seminar can be ordered through Biretta Books, Ltd.

and can be purchased online at www. cantius.org/webstore or call our distributor at 1-800-345-6665.

What has given me great joy over the years working with hundreds of couples is the power of conversion. It gives me great happiness to see that couples are coming to see the truth, beauty, and goodness of Christian Marriage as a gift from God and how marriage, here on earth, is truly a participation in the life of heaven. My joy has also been to see many couples return to the Faith and the reception of the Sacraments. With the help of God’s grace and the working of the Holy Spirit, this program has produced much fruit. We hope that you find the One in Christ Marriage Seminar instructive, insightful and beneficial to the couples you will be preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Fr. Thomas Aschenbrener at fraschenbrener@aol.com. Fr. Thomas Aschenbrener Canons Regular of St. John Cantius Chicago, IL