A wedding is a day...a marriage is a lifetime.

“The very preparation for Christian marriage is itself a journey of faith.  It is a special  opportunity for the engaged to rediscoverand deepen the faith received in baptism and nourished by their Christian upbringing.  In this way they come to recognize and freely accept their vocation to follow Christ and to serve the kingdom of God in the married state.” Familiaris Consortio, John Paul II, 1981, n. 51.

There are a couple of requirements to be taken before Kelvin and I make our next step into marriage.  Regardless of it being required by the Diocese of San Diego, we were not the least bit hesitant to attend them.  The first of the 2 was the DMPP (Diocesan Marriage Preparation Program) formally known as Pre-Cana, which was held at the Pastoral Center in Clairemont Mesa.  It was one day where we discussed problem solving skills, meaning of marriage, communication, and natural family planning just to name a few.  We had the opportunity to begin learning about each other more deeply and honestly.  We were there with 49 other couples which made it less intense, plus we got to meet a few potential friends.  

"Catholic Engaged Encounter is a weekend retreat away with other engaged couples with plenty of time alone together to plan for a sacramental marriage. It is designed to give couples planning marriage the opportunity to dialogue honestly and intensively about their prospective lives together-- their strengths and weaknesses, desires, ambitions, goals, their attitudes about money, sex, children, family, their role in the church and society--in a face to face way."

CEE was a 3 day weekend retreat where Kelvin and fell in love all over again.  It was held at the Mission San Luis Rey in Oceanside, CA.  Although the DMPP discussed key topics, the CEE went into more detail.  It focused more on the two of us and gave us time to talk to each other about things we've never brought up or discussed in more depth.  I learned things about Kelvin I never knew before, and vice versa.  The CEE was an enlightening, beneficial, and most importantly a spiritual experience for the both of us.  It brought us closer than we ever were.  I believe any couple getting married, whether Catholic or not, should attend this event before entering matrimony.  

We will never forget our experience at both events, especially with our retreat leaders, Dave & Cheryl.  They made the experience more worth while.  I believe this has made our bond even stronger which will essentially make our marriage last a lifetime.