If you've just gotten engaged, congratulations from the parishes of St. Patrick! This is a very exciting time as you make plans for your wedding. We want to be as supportive to you as possible. One of the first steps to getting married in the Church is to contact Fr. Dennis to arrange a meeting. Secondly, you'll want to be part of a marriage preparation program. Below, you'll see the options available to you.

You will spend hours on details like picking colors, flowers, reception hall, and music. While these things are important, keep in mind that your wedding is only a day long event. Your marriage will last for the rest of your life. Be sure to take the time to prepare not just for your wedding, but for your future marriage. We hope the following resources help.

Marriage Preparation Programs:
Parish Program:

Diocesan Program: The Diocese of Buffalo's Family Life department also has marriage preparation programs. Visit http://www.buffalodiocese.org/Evangelization/FamilyLife/ForTheEngaged.aspx for the list of available programs.

Engaged Encounter: Engaged Encounter is a national organization that hosts marriage prep weekends in local areas. Married couples give talks on various aspects of marriage life. The engaged couples then reflect and discuss these issues. Visit http://www.engagedencounter.org for more information.

Family Planning-Birth Control
What does the Church really teach?
What is Natural Family Planning (NFP)?

Helpful Links:
USCCB Marriage and Family: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops have a section on their website dedicated to Marriage and Family.

foryourmarriage.org: A separate site developed by the USCCB that has articles, blogs, tests, date ideas, and so much more regarding dating, engagement, and marriage.

catholicweddinghelp.com: A website that answers questions about a Catholic wedding as well as offers help for planning your ceremony. This is only one of many sites that offer such services.