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Marriage Preparation

Marriage Preparation

2024​​ Courses

Preparing you for marriage in the Catholic Church

“It is necessary to make preparatory programmes for the Sacrament of Marriage ever more effective, not only for human growth, but above all for the faith of the engaged couples. The fundamental objective of this encounter is to help engaged couples realise a progressive integration into the mystery of Christ, in the Church and with the Church.” (Pope Francis, Address to the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, 21 January 2017)

About CHC Marriage Preparation courses

Our courses meet the requirements for preparation for the Sacrament of Marriage in the Catholic Church.

They have been specifically designed to offer couples a presentation of fundamental, underlying themes as well as of the Sacrament of Marriage itself, according to the theological vision of the Catholic Church. Intrinsic to this presentation is an emphasis on personal integrity and honest communication as a couple, founded on the primary relationship with God.

Our Director, Stefan Kaminski, gained a licentiate at the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies in Marriage and Family Life, the Church’s only institute dedicated to this area. He is supported by his wife, Eleonora, who is similarly qualified, and a team of couples who are experienced in delivering marriage preparation as well as in marriage itself!

Our events take place at Theodore House, set on the stunning Stonyhurst estate in the Ribble Valley.

2024 Marriage preparation course

Saturday 27th January & 3rd February (10am - 5pm)

Our marriage preparation course runs over two consecutive Saturdays.
 
The course explores all the fundamental themes necessary to providing couples with a clear overview of the vision for marriage offered by the Catholic Church, examining the Sacrament of Marriage through the promises that couples will make during the wedding ceremony.
 
Relational content is explored as part of the course through helpful questionnaires, which  couples will have time to share and discuss.
 
Time for discussion and questions is built into each day, with material for couples to take away and reflect on as they approach their wedding.
 
The cost of the course includes a buffet lunch and refreshments on both days.
Marriage preparation
Cost

ÂŁ90 per person / ÂŁ180 per couple

Location:
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Courses Events

The Beauty & Mystery of the Mass [residential course]

The Beauty & Mystery of the Mass
[residential course]

3rd-5th December 2021

The Mass through the eyes of Christ

“The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. This truth does not simply express a daily experience of faith, but recapitulates the heart of the mystery of the Church. In a variety of ways she joyfully experiences the constant fulfilment of the promise: “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Mt 28:20), but in the Holy Eucharist, through the changing of bread and wine into the body and blood of the Lord, she rejoices in this presence with unique intensity.”  (Pope John Paul II, De Eucharistia)

Join us for a weekend dedicated to exploring the enduring Sacrament of Christ’s Death and Resurrection: the Holy Eucharist.

The Mass is God’s greatest gift to us. It is His practical means of making available to each one of us the fruits of His saving Love and His friendship. This weekend will be devoted to thinking about and meditating on this wonderful gift, with the aid of the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas.
 
Plenty of opportunity for discussion and debate, within a framework of Mass and communal prayer.
Format of the weekend

The weekend will be structured around three talks given by Fr Gregory Pearson, O.P.

Each talk will be followed by a discussion session in smaller groups. The sessions will each be based on a relevant article from Aquina’s Summa theologiae, and will be led by Fr Pearson and Sr Valery.

Morning, Evening and Night Prayer and Mass will provide a framework of prayer for the weekend, with free time on Saturday afternoon and socials in the evenings.

Is this course for me?

The course requires no prior qualification or knowledge.

The course is offered to anyone wishing to deepen their understanding of the theology of the Mass. It will therefore be of special interest to catechists and those teaching the Sacraments at any level.

Course tutors
Fr Gregory Pearson, O.P.

Dr George Corbett is Senior Lecturer in the School of Divinity, University of St Andrews. Previously, he held positions as Junior Research Fellow in Philosophy, Trinity College, and affiliated lecturer in Italian, University of Cambridge, where he also taught English literature and theology. He received his BA (double first), MPhil (distinction), and PhD (AHRC-funded) from the University of Cambridge. He has also studied in Pisa (as an Erasmus-Socrates exchange scholar at La Scuola Normale Superiore), Rome (Institutum Pontificium Alterioris Latinitatis), and Montella (Vivarium Novum). 

Sr Valery, O.P.

Sr Valery is a Dominican Sister of the Stone Congregation. In the early 1970s, she was introduced by Fr Romuald Horn O.P. to a particular method of studying the Summa Theologica of St Thomas Aquinas. Since then, she has run numerous S Thomas study days and weekends.

About the venue

Theodore House offers a wonderful venue for any residential course. The tranquil and beautiful surroundings of the Stonyhurst estate offer a peaceful setting with endless opportunities for walks. Guests will enjoy the comfortable recreational spaces and a beautifully lanscaped garden.

For more information about Theodore House, please click here.

Timings
  • Arrivals from 3pm (Friday)
  • Course commences with Mass and Evening Prayer at 5:30pm (Friday)
  • Departures after lunch (Sunday)
Cost

Single room: ÂŁ160 p.p.*

Twin room (sharing): ÂŁ110 p.p.*

Non-residential, (includes lunch and dinner): ÂŁ90 p.p.

*Costs include full board from Friday dinner to Sunday lunch inclusive.

In case of cancellation or postponment resulting from Covid-19, deposits and payments will be refunded or carried over.

Please register below (includes ÂŁ50 p.p. deposit payment):

Venue:

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Media Video

Educating in Virtue

The Logos & Literature: Elaborating the Divine
#5 Educating in Virtue: Appealing to the Young Mind

***The talks are made available freely with the request for a donation to support our costs.***

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Stories are a fundamental and important means of communicating principals and actions by which to live life: namely morality and virtue. They have played a central role in education in every civilised society, adapting to the specifics of each era and place. Acclaimed author, Corinna Turner, will explore the challenges of presenting and exemplifying virtues in literature to the modern, young mind.

About the speaker:

Corinna Turner is the Carnegie medal nominated author of the I Am Margaret series, The Boy Who Knew (Carlo Acutis), and other works for young adults and adults. She is a Lay Dominican, and lives in the UK.

Other videos in the series:

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Media Video

Fiction as Formation in CS Lewis

The Logos & Literature: Elaborating the Divine
#4 Fiction as Formation: CS Lewis & the Chronicles of Narnia

***The talks are made available freely with the request for a donation to support our costs.***

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The Chronicles of Narnia draw much of their depth from CS Lewis’ appreciation of the Christian vision of education and the liberal arts. Dr Rebekah Lamb will focus on the formative elements of Lewis’ fiction, with special emphasis on The Silver Chair.

About the speaker:

Dr Rebekah Lamb lectures at the School of Divinity, University of St. Andrew’s. She specialises in Religion and Literature from the long-nineteenth century to the present, with  emphasis on the Pre-Raphaelites and their affiliate circles. Prior to St. Andrews Rebekah was an inaugural Étienne Gilson Post-Doctoral Fellow at the University of St. Michael’s College (USMC) in the University of Toronto and also taught Literature and Humanities Studies at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College (SWC) in the Ottawa Valley.

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Catechetical Poetry

The Logos & Literature: Elaborating the Divine
#3 Catechetical Poetry: Presenting Christianity in China

The beauty and structure of poetry presents a particular form of literature that is at once attractive and easily memorised. Roy Peachey will examine how Wu Li, one of the masters of early Qing Dynasty painting, used traditional Chinese verse to evangelise the people of China. Even after he became a Jesuit priest in 1688, Wu Li continued to paint and write poetry, using his elegant art to present the essentials of Christianity to the Chinese people at a time of great political and religious uncertainty. Despite the very different conditions in which it was produced, his work therefore offers an intriguing example for our own times too.

***The talks are made available freely with the request for a donation to support our costs.***

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About the speaker:

Roy Peachey was educated at Oxford, London and Lancaster universities, studying Modern History, English and Chinese Studies. He is has held several senior educational roles whilst teaching, and pubilshed a number of books, including 50 Books for Life: A Concise Guide to Catholic Literature.

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Media Video

Truth in Fact & Fiction Today

The Logos & Literature: Elaborating the Divine
#2 Searching for Truth: Fact & Fiction Today

***The talks are made available freely with the request for a donation to support our costs.***

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Fiction plays a powerful role in the search for and perception of truth. Historical fiction offers a means of accessing the past, and contemporary fiction often helps to shape the way a society is perceived. Fiorella Nash will explore the importance of both genres in seeking and reclaiming truths both religious and about ourselves, and in a particular way, the role of the murder mystery genre in the search for truth and justice.

About the speaker:

Fiorella De Maria is an Anglo-Maltese writer who grew up in Wiltshire, England and studied English literature at Cambridge University. A winner of the National Book Prize of Malta, she has published ten books including: Poor Banished Children, Do No Harm, We’ll Never Tell Them, A Most Dangerous Innocence and the Father Gabriel mysteries which have been described as “Miss Marple for the twenty-first century”. She lives in Surrey with her husband, four children and a dog called Monty. For more information about Fiorella, click here.

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Media Video

Tolkien’s Cosmology

The Logos & Literature: Elaborating the Divine
#1 Tolkien's Cosmology: Understanding our World

***The talks are made available freely with the request for a donation to support our costs.***

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JRR Tolkien’s mythical world captured the hearts and minds of millions. His world is one that speaks to us because it is anchored in a profound truth: that of a cosmos brought into being and continually guided, whilst simultaneously respecting the free choices of its creatures. Rev. Dr Halsall will explore the beauty of Tolkien’s vision as a reflection of the Catholic understanding of the cosmos, as defined in its relationship to the Creator.

About the speaker:

Fr Halsall is a priest of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, and teaches Philosophy at Allen Hall Seminary in London. Fr Halsall’s recent book – Creation and Beauty in Tolkien’s Catholic Vision – explores the philosophical themes in Tolkien’s crafted creation narratives, alongside those of the Christian tradition, influenced as they are by varieties of Christian Neoplatonism.

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The Life to Come

A Journey of Salvation: The Drama Displayed
#6 The Life to Come

***The talks are made available freely with the request for a donation to support our costs.***

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A reflection on the Last Things – death, judgement, heaven and hell – which are most vividly spoken of in the Book of Revelation, but also given concrete shape by the Gospels. Michelangelo’s Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel provides an artistic aid to this talk.

About the speaker:

Sr Emanuela Edwards is a member of the Missionaries of Divine Revelation, an apostolic community orientated towards the New Evangelisation. She has worked extensively with the Vatican Museums delivering tours and talks on Art and Faith. For more information about the Missionaries of Divine revelation, please click here.

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Media Video

Signs of Passion

A Journey of Salvation: The Drama Displayed
#5 Signs of Passion

***The talks are made available freely with the request for a donation to support our costs.***

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This talk is be based around the Turin Shroud, offering a very visual aid to the sufferings of Our Lord in His Passion and Death, as well as some insights into the history and study of the Shroud.

Note: The Shroud will next be exposed in 2025.

About the speaker:

In 2008, Pam acquired a full-sized replica of the Shroud from Barrie Schwortz, the official photographer of the 1978 STuRP scientific examination of the Shroud.  It was one of the first four replicas he created.  She was so moved by the beauty of the Shroud that she developed an exhibition around the replica. For more information about her exhibition, please click here.

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Media Video

The Greatest Gift

A Journey of Salvation: The Drama Displayed
#4 The Greatest Gift

***The talks are made available freely with the request for a donation to support our costs.***

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God’s approach to us as Son and Redeemer, in the person of Jesus Christ, is the pivotal point of human history. Several artistic pieces are examined to aid in a reflection on the mystery of the Incarnation and of our Redemption.

About the speaker:

Dr Caroline Farey has taught catechesis, theology and philosophy for many years throughout the English-speaking world. She has held several important positions, having also been appointed by the Vatican as one of the lay experts at the Synod on the New Evangelisation. She has a passion for Sacred Art, which she has long made use of in her teaching. For more information about Dr Farey’s current work, please click here.

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