On the feast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary, May 31st, 2012,
Agapè Catholic Marriage Preparation received the Imprimatur
from Bishop Michael J. Sheridan, Bishop of Colorado Springs.
Bishop Golka - Bishop Sheridan - Bishop Ramirez - Archdiocese of San Francisco - Diocese of Allentown - Diocese of Salt Lake City - Diocese of Pittsburgh - Diocese of Knoxville - Diocese of Duluth - Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange - Diocese of Madison - Catholic Diocese of Memphis - Chris West - Archdiocese of Atlanta - Archdiocese of Westminster, UK - Diocese of Crookston - Diocese of Sacramento - Diocese of Oakland - Archbishop Chaput - Catherdral of Christ the King - Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma
Bishop Michael J. Sheridan, Diocese of Colorado Springs
"CatholicMarriagePrep.com and the importance of welcoming the engaged and newly married couples in parishes."
SUPPORT FROM Bishop James R. Golka, Bishop of Colorado Springs
Agape CatholicMarriagePrep.com is a trusted resource which not only presents the Church’s understanding of Marriage as a Sacrament but it also provides a wonderful way for the couple to spend time clearly communicating and connecting with each other.
Couples who have used this resource report how helpful it is in enhancing their relationship with each other and their connection with the Church.
As I have the honor of serving as Bishop in the Diocese of Colorado Springs I also personally know Christian and Christine Meert to be a faithful and responsible couple.
They are the creators of this program and they have many years of experience in shaping this instrument to be most helpful to the couples and to the Church.
I am happy to endorse this Marriage Preparation resource!
Most Rev. James R. Golka
Bishop - Diocese of Colorado Springs
PERMISSION TO PUBLISH (Imprimatur) Bishop Michael J. Sheridan, Bishop of Colorado Springs
SUPPORT FROM Bishop Ricardo Ramirez, C.S.B. Former Bishop of Las Cruces
Mosaic TV, Archdiocese of San Francisco, June 2019:
Interview: Ed Hopfner, Director Office of Marriage and Family Life, Archdiocese of San Francisco
2 minutes
SUPPORT FROM Magdalene Riggin, Director, Diocese of Allentown
CatholicMarriagePrep.com is an excellent resource for couples preparing to receive the Sacrament of
Marriage. When our office refers engaged couples to the program at CatholicMarriagePrep.com, we
are confident that they will receive authentic Catholic content which corresponds to Church teaching.
The instructors who assist engaged couples are a wonderful benefit to the program, and provide a
1-on-1 formation experience that invites engaged couples toward deeper relationship with Christ. We
are very pleased with the formation and catechesis offered through the pre-cana course at
CatholicMarriagePrep.com.
-Magdalene Riggin
Director
Diocese of Allentown
SUPPORT FROM Crystal Painter, Director, Office of Marriage & Family Life, Diocese of Salt Lake City
CatholicMarriagePrep.com has been an invaluable resource for the Diocese of Salt Lake City in the years we have partnered with them for our online marriage prep. This online program is our go to marriage preparation program when couples cannot attend our in-person program. We not only utilize the pre-cana course, however, we also send couples to the convalidation course. I love to let Military couples know that they can get a discount!
I am very happy to receive the feedback from the engaged couples and our clergy are also very appreciative of this helpful information.
The mentors are amazing and are able to work with couples in all stages and circumstances. The staff at CatholicMarriagePrep.com are wonderful to work with and we look forward to continuing to work with them for years to come. If you are looking for a strong, Catholic online marriage preparation program, CatholicMarriagePrep.com is the program for you.
Crystal Painter
Director, Office of Marriage & Family Life
SUPPORT FROM Deacon Tom Lopus, Deacon Assigned to Marriage Ministry, Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
I wholeheartedly endorse CatholicMarriagePrep.Com as a tremendous method for preparing engaged couples for the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
Many couples from our Diocese have availed themselves to this wonderful option, especially during the Covid pandemic.
This ministry has been vital to allow couples that could not attend other in-person offerings due to local restrictions.
The kindness, help and support that is shown by all the mentor couples, as well as the support personnel, is a clear sign of the importance that they place on this critical ministry.
-Deacon Tom Lopus
Deacon Assigned to Marriage Ministry
Diocese of Pittsburgh
SUPPORT FROM Deacon Al Forsythe, Diocese of Knoxville
I wish to take this opportunity to bring your attention to CatholicMarriagePrep.com an online program that engages couples preparing for marriage in a preparation program based on St. Pope John Paul II Theology of the Body. During this time of the pandemic when it is difficult to gather couples in person or for couples who need to prepare for marriage in the Catholic Church who may be separated by distance or through busy schedules this program is ideal. The Agape Ministries program offers an on demand online program that each individual can access at their own pace and then connect to a mentor.
My role as the Director of Marriage Preparation for the Diocese of Knoxville has seen couples who have gone through this program and have grown closer to each other and to the church and their relationship with Jesus Christ. If you are preparing couples and are looking for a program that does this then I highly recommend you consider looking into this program. I am confident you will be satisfied with the results.
God Bless,
Deacon Al Forsythe
Diocese of Knoxville
aforsythe@dioknox.org
865-806-1343
SUPPORT FROM Betsy Kneepkens, Director of marriage and family life, Diocese of Duluth
When COVID shut the world down we were left wondering how we were going to serve our engage couples and their preparations. We knew in person was the best option but that was not available to us when COVID struck. We looked at many online platforms and found CatholicMarriagePrep.com a program we trusted with the important message of what the Church wants couples to know. COVID brought us to CatholicMarriagePrep.com but in the process we learned that we now can serve all couples needs, those that have a partner in the military or those that work shift or weekend hours or those that have children and can’t take retreat time away. We can serve more faithful going forward because CatholicMarriagePrep.com allows us to be more flexible. We are thankful for CatholicMarriagePrep.com
-Betsy Kneepkens
Director of marriage and family life
Diocese of Duluth
SUPPORT FROM Linda Ji, Director, Office for Family Life
CatholicMarriagePrep.com has helped many couples in our diocese prepare well for the sacrament of marriage. As a diocesan family life director, I appreciate that this ministry is definitively Catholic and focuses mainly on helping engaged couples build a Christ-centered relationship and understand what that means and entails in their marriage. The instructors do this in a friendly and approachable manner that welcomes couples at any point in their faith journey.
Linda Ji
Director, Office for Family Life
SUPPORT FROM Dr. John P. Joy, Diocese of Madison, Senior Theologian to the Bishop, Coordinator of Marriage and Family Ministries
Diocese of Madison
The Online Theology of the Body Pre-Cana from CatholicMarriagePrep.com has been an invaluable aid in preparing our couples for marriage. We used to direct couples to online marriage prep options only in exceptional circumstances. But we’ve been so impressed by CatholicMarriagePrep.com that we’re going to continue to make it available for all couples in the diocese even after the pandemic.
-Dr. John P. Joy
Diocese of Madison
Senior Theologian to the Bishop
Coordinator of Marriage and Family Ministries
SUPPORT FROM Sharon Kowalke, Pastoral Life Administration, Catholic Diocese of Memphis
The Catholic Diocese of Memphis encourages couples preparing to marry to complete the Online Pre-Cana class. Consistently, the feedback we have received is positive, with such remarks as “very informational” and “enlightening” and “thought provoking.” The majority of couples stated that the course met their expectations, especially the time sharing with instructor couples. This program has been a life-saver during the pandemic and we believe it will still be of great value as we hopefully (soon) are living in a post-pandemic world.
-Sharon Kowalke
Pastoral Life Administration
Catholic Diocese of Memphis
Support from Christopher West,
Best Selling Author, Speaker, Teacher and World-Renowned Expert in Saint John Paul II's Theology of the Body.
March 2nd, 2015
"Here’s a reputable online Marriage Prep program that integrates Theology of the Body and that’s especially helpful for couples who find it difficult to attend the typical marriage prep weekend format. I met the couple behind it years ago. This is worth knowing about."
Support from Dcn. Joseph Bell, M.Th,
"As Director for Marriage and Family Life for the Diocese of Reno, I am happy to endorse the Agape Catholic Ministries’ Catholic Marriage Prep. CatholicMarriagePrep.com is solidly Catholic in its approach and encourages lifelong growth in the sacrament of marriage. Several of our parishes have used the program successfully. It has been especially beneficial for our rural parishes, and during the pandemic. The program allows engaged couples to grow more deeply in their relationships with one another and with the Church. In addition, it fosters a meaningful communication between couples."
Dcn. Joseph Bell, M.Th
Director, Marriage and Family Life
Diocese of Reno
Daniel West, Associate Co-Director of Marriage, Family, and Pastoral Care of the Archdiocese of Atlanta
"Catholicmarriageprep.com (CMP), a division of Agape Catholic Ministries, is undoubtedly the best online marriage prep program.
Having referred many couples to CMP for several years and having read countless of their evaluations, I can attest to the fact that real conversions happen through the program. CMP instructors understand that because marriage preparation is an occasion in which a couple is open to learning more about Love, they are consequently more open to having an encounter with Christ. They take full advantage of this opportunity. Witnessing to the fullness of truth, beauty, and goodness of our Catholic Faith by instruction and by personal example, the engaged couples under their care always receive a high quality sacramental preparation.
I have also found the clergy to be well pleased with CMP. I have yet to hear from a priest or a deacon who is disappointed with the program. Priests from various kinds of parishes and backgrounds in the Archdiocese of Atlanta view CMP as a valuable resource in marriage preparation."
SUPPORT FROM The Archdiocese of Westminster, London, United Kingdom.
Thankful for Catholic Marriage Prep
Here in the Archdiocese of Westminster (U.K.). we have officially promoted and encouraged this program as part of the diverse array of marriage prep resources we identify. We have had a very fruitful collaborative and professional working relationship with the Meerts for several years, and Christian was one of our guest speakers for our 40th anniversary celebrations in 2008 of the great encyclical Humanae Vitae.
Given that the current Year of Faith will see the 45th anniversary of the encyclical in July against the backdrop of a new papacy, such articles as yours become absolutely invaluable to the new evangelization and building the culture of life, especially between spouses and future marriages.
May I wish you a blessed Passiontide and joyful Easter.
Edmund P Adamus
Director for Marriage and Family Life
Archdiocese of Westminster
London, U.K.
Support from the Diocese of Crookston, Minnesota
Support from the Diocese of Sacramento, California
Several parishes in the Diocese of Sacramento use the live, four-evening version of the Agape Catholic Marriage Prep program.
Our Diocese also allows engaged couples the option of taking the online version of this same program, and about 10 - 15% of them choose it.
While there are other online marriage prep programs out there, Agape is the only one formally approved by our Diocese because it is not only fully faithful to Catholic teaching on marriage but it also offers each engaged couple a personalized, one-on-one, mentor couple-led learning experience.
Agape CMP sends me a copy of every engaged couple’s evaluation after they complete the program.
Not only are these evaluations uniformly positive but they almost all glow about how excellent the program was and how it exceeded their expectations.
Whether experienced live or online, the Agape CMP program is a gift to our engaged couples and to the Church.
Steve Patton, MA, JD
Family Life Director
Diocese of Sacramento
Support from the Diocese of Oakland, California
"After I met Christian and Christine Meert and a few of their team, I thought I'd give select couples the option of this online program, especially if the couple was separated by distance or if there was a time crunch. I so appreciate the concern and training of the couples preparing the engaged, the language options, the flexibility of the program, and the follow up with my Office and with the parish priest/deacon working with the couple."
Mimi Streett, Coordinator
Marriage & Family Life
Diocese of Oakland
SUPPORT FROM Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Support from the Cathedral of Christ the King
" I require all my couples to use the Catholic Marriage Prep.com program. I have found that this approach to marriage preparation really challenges and allows each couple to reflect on and discuss and internalize the meaning and significance of marriage as a Sacrament. It prompts them to discuss this in an intimate one on one context that is not rushed or packed into one weekend or merely a few sessions with a Priest. This approach really calls and guides each couple to truly embrace and live the Sacrament as practicing Catholics in the context of seeking a growing relationship with the Lord and His Church. I highly recommend it to any young couple in the preparation process."
Father Mark White
Cathedral of Christ the King
Atlanta, Georgia
Support from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma
"CatholicMarriagePrep.com has been a great tool for our Diocese to get couples prepared and catechized before their weddings. We have had wonderful feedback from our engaged couples and those getting con-validated in the Church. It has been very useful for our many rural parishes and those engaged long distance, that would have to travel to Tulsa to complete our preparation retreat. I am very grateful for this tool and know it is high quality. I recommend this program wholeheartedly!"
Audrey Stubblefield
Coordinator of Marriage and Family Life
Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa & Eastern Oklahoma
