A Redeeming State - Leader's Guide for Couples Planning Remarriage in the Church

Sep 28, 2026

Upload by Aran

Leader’s Guide for Couples Planning Remarriage in the Church explains how to run a couple-to-couple preparation program for formerly married engaged couples who are positioned to remarry. It outlines who the program is for, what sponsor couples do in parish support, and when it works best after first pastoral meetings. It also provides guidance on where sessions can be held, why the program addresses special remarriage needs, and how the pastor introduces and assigns sponsor couples.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages50

Reading Time2 h 6 min

AccessFree to download

Some Basic Information

Who?

What?

When?

Where?

Why?

How?

# A REDEEMINGSTATELEADER’S GUIDEFOR COUPLES PLANNING REMARRIAGE IN THE CHURCHJudith Tate O'Brienand Gene O'Brien 8//8 # A Redeeming State 11 A Redeeming State Il # Leader's Guide for Couples PlanningRemarriagein the Church Judith Tate O'BrienandGene O’Brien ② Copyright C1983 byJudith Tate O'Brienand Gene O'Brien All rights reserved.No part of this book may be reproduced or transmit-ted in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,or by any information storage and retrievalsystem without permission in writing from the Publisher ISBN:0-8091-5183-9 Published by Paulist Press545 Island Road,Ramsey,N.J.07446 Printed and bound in theUnited States of America II Contents ll Some Basic Information ...viiSome Considerations ...ixPart I:Training PlanTraining Plan for Sponsor Couples3Step I—Initial MeetingStep II—At-Home AssignmentStep III—Final MeetingPart II:Guidelines for MeetingsFirst Meeting:Welcoming the Engaged Couple17Friendship...19Former Spouse ...22Stepfamily Structure ...24Second Meeting:Family Background ...25Stepparenting...27Conflict ...29Third Meeting:Money Management ...31Sexual Love ...33Sacramental Marriage ...35Follow-Up ...37 # lI Some Basic Information*Il Who?A Redeeming State is designed for formerly married en-gaged couples who are in a position to remarry in theChurch.This would include couples in which at least oneperson is widowed or divorced.In the latter case,first mar-riages may have been annulled or declared invalid by theChurch.In any case,it is assumed that the couple has re-solved the issue of remarriage in a conscientious way. What?This is a couple-to-couple program.Sponsor couples in theparish help engaged couples prepare for a sacramental re-marriage and confront some major issues typical of remar-riages.Although A Redeeming State does not duplicate oreliminate the pastor's task of helping couples prepare formarriage,it can be a rich addition to his work. When?A Redeeming State works best if the engaged persons be-gin it soon after their first meeting with the pastor.**Gener-ally the meetings take nine hours and are scheduled forthree three-hour sessions. Where?Ideally,the program is conducted in the sponsor couple'shome.However,meetings may be held in the rectory or in *Copies of the information given on this sheet may be duplicatedand given to engaged couples to help them understand the program. **The term pastor is used for the sake of simplicity and refers alsothe associate pastors or other staff members designated by the pastor. the parish hall if circumstances indicate that those placeswould be more suitable. Why?Agrowing percentage of church marriages involve former-ly married persons.Even in ideal circumstances,remarriageholds many difficulties.Not nearly enough has been done tomeet the special needs of remarried couples.A RedeemingState provides the parish one opportunity to demonstrateChrist-like compassion by reaching out to these couples. How?First,the pastor will introduce the program into his parishby inviting some remarried couples to become sponsors.Then,when formerly married engaged couples approachhim about marriage,he will explain A Redeeming State tothem and assign them to a sponsor couple who will helpthem work through the program.After that,the engagedcouple will return to the pastor to complete their marriagepreparation.

FAQs

Who is A Redeeming State designed for?

It is designed for formerly married engaged couples who are in a position to remarry in the Church, including couples where at least one person is widowed or divorced.

What is the purpose of the program and what do sponsor couples do?

It is a couple-to-couple program in which sponsor couples in the parish help engaged couples prepare for a sacramental remarriage and address major issues typical of remarriages.

When and where should the meetings be scheduled and held?

It works best when the engaged persons begin soon after their first meeting with the pastor. Generally, meetings total nine hours across three three-hour sessions, ideally in the sponsor couple’s home, but they may be held in the rectory or parish hall if suitable.

Sep 28, 2026

Upload by Aran