COLORADO SPRINGS. One of the biggest reasons to hold a Holy Hour for Marriage is to support engaged couples who want a sacramental marriage but who may be receiving conflicting messages from friends, relatives or society at large, said Christian Meert, director of the Office of Marriage and Family Life of the Diocese of Colorado Springs and founder of CatholicMarriagePrep.com.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Engaged, newly-married and young-adult married couples are invited to join Cana Couples, a new program of the Young Adult Ministry of the Diocese of Colorado Springs. The next gathering will take place on Feb. 12 from 7-9 p.m. in the Corpus Christi Parish Hall.

COLORADO SPRINGS. When Catholic couples discover years or decades after being married civilly that their marriage is not considered to be valid by the Church, it can come as a surprise and leave them wondering what steps to take. Fortunately, the Diocese of Colorado Springs is equipped to help such couples enter into a valid Catholic marriage so that they can live a complete sacramental life.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Although weddings during the coronavirus pandemic look much different than in the past, couples are continuing to attend marriage preparation classes and enter into the sacrament of matrimony. Because so much of the diocesan marriage preparation program is available online, couples are able to finish the classes, including education in natural family planning (NFP), at their own pace while still observing social distancing requirements and travel restrictions.

In a time when Pope Francis has to remind parents to teach their children and the whole family to say three words — “please,” “thank-you,” and “I’m sorry,” — it’s good to look to saintly parents who raised saintly children.

COLORADO SPRINGS. When Christian and Christine Meert were named co-directors of the Diocese of Colorado Springs’ newly- created Office of Marriage and Family Life in 2005, they essentially started with a blank slate. Now, 15 years later, the two can look back and see how their efforts have born fruit.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Call it a silver lining or unintended consequence, but one good thing to come out of the coronavirus pandemic is that engaged couples now have more time to focus on the sacrament of matrimony and the Catholic Church’s teaching about marriage.

Broken trust is one of the biggest impacts for a couple when there has been sexual betrayal or a pattern of pornography use.

COLORADO SPRINGS. With couples being cooped up together for extended periods of time these past few months, now might be a great time to consider taking advantage of a Worldwide Marriage Encounter Experience Virtual Weekend. Normally, the virtual weekend experience is for couples who can’t get away for the entire weekend for a traditional Marriage Encounter Weekend. It allows couples to sleep in their own beds, and check in on children and animals during the meal time breaks.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St. Theresé of Lisieux, have been declared the patron saints of the Diocese of Colorado Springs’ Office of Marriage and Family Life, said Christian Meert, who directs the office along with his wife, Christine.