Marriage Preparation: Sponsor Couples

A sponsor couple is a couple-to-couple ministry in which married couples mentor engaged couples to help them preparation for Sacrament of Matrimony [Christian marriage]. The goal is to:

  • Foster a sense of care and concern in the engaged couples and to help them prepare for their commitment to God and one another within the Church and community.
  • Explore with the engaged couples issues through the results of a marriage preparation inventory – PREPARE-ENRICH or FOCCUS.
  • Help the engaged couples learn to pray together.
  • Provide engaged couples an opportunity to understand Sacramental Marriage through the married couple’s lived experience.
Training for Sponsor Couples

The Office of Family Ministries offers training for parish sponsor couples. Trainings will be scheduled throughout the year in either the FOCCUS or PREPARE-ENRICH inventories throughout various locations within the archdiocese. Priests/Parish Life Coordinators who wish to have a training conducted at their parish can contact David Bethuram at dbethuram@archindy.org is set a specific date.  The parish is responsible for the cost of the facilitator manuals for either FOCCUS or PREPARE-ENRICH.

What the Training Involves

The three-five hour training uses various learning modes: group interaction, lecture and possibly role-playing. Some topics are:

  • Role of the Sponsor Couple
  • Working Together as a Couple
  • Using a Pre-marriage Inventory (PREPARE-ENRICH or FOCCUS)
  • Overview of Marriage Preparation
  • Marital Spirituality
  • Special Areas of Concern (such as cohabitation, premarital sex, interfaith, etc.)
Suggested Qualities of a Sponsor Couple
  • Believe in marriage as a permanent and faithful commitment.
  • Belief in God and Church are necessary to a successful relationship.
  • Are generous, warm and nonjudgmental.
  • Are realistic and hopeful regarding the day-to-day living of marriage.
  • Are open-minded and can share their lived witness of the sacrament.
  • Have the ability to listen well, reflect back and encourage participation without threatening.
  • Can be witnesses and companions with the engaged couples in their continued search for a fulfilling and successful marriage.
  • Have been married for at least three years, are following the teachings of the Catholic Church, and support the archdiocesan guidelines in preparing couples for marriage.
  • Understand the principle of confidentiality.
What is a Pre-marital inventory?

PREPARE-ENRICH and FOCCUS are customized couple assessment inventories that identifies a couple's strength and growth areas. Based on an engaged couple's assessment results, a trained sponsor couple provides 3-6 sessions in which they help the engaged couple discuss and understand their results and study proven healthy relationship skills.
Web links:

Training Resources:
Other Documents: