Marriage preparation

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Under preparation for marriage (even marriage seminar , formerly bride Seminar ) refers to a process of consultation, the newlyweds to the challenges of marriage prepare or to support you.

In most cases, experiences and methods based on partnership are conveyed (including in the areas of communication and body language, conflict resolution , finance) and, if necessary, practiced on small examples. An exchange of views, for example on marital sexuality , is often encouraged, one's own family of origin is reflected upon or relevant legal issues are dealt with. If necessary, the modalities of the wedding ceremony and the theological understanding of the marriage sacrament are discussed. Marriage preparation seminars are offered both with individual couples and in small groups (often in the form of weekend seminars).

In the German-speaking countries, marriage preparation is an optional offer and is not subsidized or regulated by the state. It is above all church institutions and providers who support couples with different offers in this phase of life.

Roman Catholic Church

The Roman Catholic Church has cultivated the canonical marriage preparation in the form of so-called bridal exams as a long tradition and provided it as a prerequisite for church wedding . This was and is necessary because the Catholic Church has its own right to this, which existed long before the state marriage and which keeps books about it, the so-called matriculation . The bride seminars not served while the personal preparation of the bride and groom , but the interrogation of marriage obstacles, Single status and origin, etc., so that the marriage is valid and allowed could be closed. For this purpose, a prescribed marriage preparation protocol was and is being filled out.

Teaching development

It was not until Pope Leo XIII wrote Arcanum divinae sapientiae in 1880. a consideration of the personal relationship of the bride and groom to one another came to the fore. This is the first time that marriage is discussed as a relationship. Another 50 years later, in 1930, Pope Pius XII described. in detail in Casti connubii that there must be personal preparation in a new form. One can say that some demands and ideas have not (still) been implemented in Germany since then. This was followed by the document Familiaris consortio by Pope John Paul II, which provides for a three-stage form of marriage preparation, starting with Christian education in childhood through an appropriate catechesis of the sacraments, which also conveys the values ​​of Catholic marriage, to the concrete preparation of the bride and groom marriage (marriage) and marriage. The CIC writes in Can. 1063 also stipulates that the bride and groom should be accompanied in the marriage even after the marriage. In the last letter on the subject of Amoris laetitia, Pope Francis urged that preparation for marriage should not be preparation for marriage (as prescribed in canon law), but pastoral preparation and accompaniment in marriage.

Current situation

Today there is a vast number of programs, and each diocese offers different options for marriage preparation on their websites. The German Bishops' Conference now offers u. a. an app for newlyweds.

Due to the new development in teaching, many dioceses have started to reorganize their marriage preparation both structurally and in terms of content in order to address more young couples and to make church weddings easier and more beautiful for them. Several dioceses, such as B. the diocese of Essen have integrated a special team for wedding preparation into the episcopal administration. In many dioceses there are little booklets, similar to those in wedding magazines "Wedding Planner", in which the bride and groom can plan their church wedding and note down preparations.

In the Schoenstatt Movement , the six-part marriage preparation courses “TRaut EUch”, which have been held in Austria and southern Germany since 1988, aim to help those interested in choosing a specific partner and the sacrament of marriage and to acquire “marriage pedagogical competence”. The method is pair-centered; H. "The couples themselves prepare their marriage". D ie Schoenstatt marriage preparation is based on the growth pedagogy of Father Joseph Kentenich. The speakers are family trainer couples from the Academy for Family Education and Catholic family chaplains. An accompanying family leads through the six evenings. The group of participants is around 10–15 couples.

The diocese of Augsburg has taken a special legal path : it obliges couples to register at least four months before the church wedding and to attend several meetings for marriage preparation (in contrast to the previously prescribed wedding preparation).

Protestant churches

For the Protestant church , wedding conversations are the rule, but often focus only on the preparation of the wedding service and not on the marriage as a whole. Some theologians are increasingly demanding more initiative from the church. In free churches, there is often a more pronounced, but rather inconsistent, commitment to marriage preparation.

At TEAM.F , the marriage seminars serve to prepare for marriage, to deepen marriage or to help with family life and upbringing.

Non-denominational offers

There are several marriage preparation tools that emphasize couple counseling. These can be used by counselors of all denominations and can also accompany couples who have no church background. These include the marriage and relationship course (EBK), which was developed and disseminated by Elfie and Ruedi Mösch, but also PREPARE / ENRICH, which is mainly used by professional consultants. An adviser guide is also available for the interactive couple and marriage preparation course 'Seriously in love'. This course can also be used independently by couples. In all of these offers, the focus is on getting to know the couple. There are also tips on relationship issues, such as communication tips, etc.

literature

  • Philipp Aebi: Highlights of the church preparation for marriage. Bern 1997 (unpublished access work in the field of pastoral care, Evangelical-theological examination committee of the Canton of Bern).
  • Tilmann Beller : We belong together. Ways to partnership before and in marriage. 4th edition. Patris Verlag, Vallendar-Schoenstatt 1988, ISBN 3-87620-072-5 .
  • Andreas Bochmann: Practice book marriage preparation. Suggestions for pastoral care and advice. Brunnen-Verlag, Giessen 2004, ISBN 3-7655-1331-8 .
  • Herbert Breuer: Preparation for marriage with a day of reflection on life and faith. Narrative work in theological adult education (= dissertations. Theological series, vol. 74), EOS-Verlag, St. Ottilien 1995, ISBN 3-88096-774-1 (also: Vallendar, Theologische Hochschule, dissertation, 1994).
  • Ulf Harder: Prevention in Pastoral Care. Presented using the example of pastoral care. Neukirchener Theologie, Neukirchen-Vluyn 2012, ISBN 978-3-7887-2568-6 .
  • Lutz Schwäbisch, Martin Siems : Instructions for social learning for couples, groups and educators. Communication and behavior training (= rororo. Rororo non-fiction book 16846). 29th edition. Rowohlt-Taschenbuch-Verlag, Reinbek bei Hamburg 2003, ISBN 3-499-16846-4 , p. 50 ff.
  • Claudia Stein: Can marital happiness be predicted? An empirical study on marriage stability and marriage satisfaction (= Prepare-Enrich-Bibliothek. ). CAB-Service, Neuenhagen near Berlin 2005, ISBN 3-937306-01-3 (also: Jena, University, diploma thesis, 2005).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ See CIC / 1917 Cann. 1019-1034 or currently CIC / 1983 Cann. 1063-1072
  2. ↑ https://recht.drs.de/fileadmin/user_files/117/Dokumente/Rechtsdokumentation/4/2/8/09_01_03a.pdf
  3. ↑ Cf. GROARKE, THOMAS J. CSSR: Marriage preparation in contemporary theology and canon law. Rome 1991, 11.
  4. ↑ See e.g. B. http://www.eintagfueruns.de/ https://www.ehebriefe.de/kirchlich-heiraten/kirchlich-heiraten.html
  5. ↑ cf. https://www.bistum-essen.de/presse/artikel/neues-team-hilft-paaren-auf-dem-weg-zur-hochzeit/
  6. ↑ The Schoenstatt Preparation for Marriage - Preparation for marriage with profound depth. Retrieved July 6, 2017 .
  7. ↑ The Schoenstatt Marriage Preparation Story. Retrieved July 6, 2017 .
  8. ↑ That was our marriage preparation course - We decided on the “TRaut EUch” marriage preparation at Schoenstatt. Retrieved April 29, 2016 .
  9. ↑ Cf. Official Journal of the Diocese of Augsburg 2016, 139 f: Directory for marriage preparation in the Diocese of Augsburg.
  10. ↑ Seminars. Archived from the original on July 6, 2009 ; Retrieved July 6, 2010 .
  11. ↑ Marriage and Relationship Course (EBK). Retrieved August 13, 2013 .
  12. ↑ PREPARE / ENRICH. Retrieved April 16, 2019 .
  13. ^ Marriage preparation on the Internet. Retrieved August 13, 2013 .