101 Questions and Answers on Catholic Marriage Preparation

This book will serve as a valuable guide both for people planning a Catholic wedding and for those preparing them for marriage. In addition, it can be used in marriage courses at the college level, in parishes and chapels, and as a reference book on Catholic practice for all readers. 101 Questions & Answers on Catholic Marriage Preparation provides both an overview of the Catholic Church's position and practice with regard to weddings in the Church as well as clear responses to questions (theological and mostly non-theological) that Catholic couples commonly ask when they are preparing for marriage. Written by a Catholic laywoman and a Catholic priest, this book looks at both the underlying theology and practical approaches to the Catholic wedding. The authors provide clear and readable guidance on preparations for the ceremony itself and answers to typical questions (101 of them) that arise during the first year of marriage. These include: · What is the Catholic understanding of Christian marriage? · Has the Church's view of "mixed marriages" changed in recent years? · Since the Church asks us to wait six months before we marry, what are the preparations we are expected to complete in the meantime? · Is a celibate priest in any position to talk about marriage to engaged people? · How realistic is the sex you see between couples in movies versus the reality of sex within marriage? · Is it true that the Church condemns artificial birth control? · Must the best man and the maid of honor be Catholics? · Do women still have to promise to obey their husbands? · What financial decisions must be made in the first year of marriage? †

Rebecca Nappi is associate editor and columnist for The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, WA.

Daniel Kendall, SJ, who holds a licentiate in Scripture from the Biblical Institute in Rome, and a doctorate in theology from the Gregorian University, Rome, is professor of theology at the University of San Francisco.