Matt and I finally had the opportunity to spend the day at our engagement enrichment class, located at St. Lucy Parish in Racine. True to form, our instructors for the day were right when they told us that the most important talk we would have that day would be between the two of us in the car on the ride home. How true that was!
The day began promptly at 9 a.m., with a light breakfast of yogurt, fruit, muffins, coffee and juice offered to us beforehand. We got a quick introduction by Fr. Javier Bustos on the theology of marriage, where through personal stories and information he allowed us to understand somewhat the sacrament of marriage. It was a lesson that I know we all needed a refresher course in.
Somewhere between renting the venue, finding a wedding dress and choosing the menu for our wedding dinner, the whole idea of our marriage as a sacrament began to lesson in my mind. Someone throughout the day – I can’t really remember who said it – mentioned how marriage can be compared to the vows that a priest or a religious sister profess. That’s pretty huge, if you think about it.
We got a long list of elective and communication courses, so Matt and I chose “Money, Money, Money” (guess what that was about?), as well as “Choosing Your Priorities: The Key to Real Problem Solving.” Our speakers for that last one were Sara and Mike Larson, a young couple married for quite a number of years. Through hilarious personal stories and lessons learned together, they helped the two of us understand how important it is to be on the same page in our lives together.
During that class, we all had to write down what our personal priorities were in life (taken from a list written on the chalkboard) and then share them with our partner. In a way Matt and I were at least in the same book, as I also believed that career, finances and home were definitely connected (I put down God and family as my top two, however).
Of course, what engagement enrichment day wouldn’t be complete without a class on Natural Family Planning! While it was just a quick overview of the various methods couples use, it was still pretty heavy to take in. Matt, who gets queasy when I talk about my time of the month (sorry guys who are reading this), had to listen to our instructor talk about mucus, body temperatures, etc. This at least got the ice broken between us, that’s for sure!
So, while it was hard getting up so early on a Saturday to spend all day listening to speakers, it was more than worth it. The more we know about one another before we get married, the better our life will be together afterwards.
While there, Jenni Oliva from the Milwaukee Archdiocese’s Nazareth Project, let us know about an upcoming engaged couples retreat in October. Although it sounds pretty cool, I don’t think Matt and I will be attending that particular one.
We’ll be on our honeymoon!
-Amy
