Preparation For Second Marriages - 2nd Marriage Mentor Couples Brochure - Revised 3/27/12

Sep 27, 2026

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A guide for couples previously married who wish to marry again in the Roman Catholic Church. It explains why a special remarriage preparation process is used, how experiences and past losses shape relationship needs, and how the program replaces traditional Marriage Prep/Pre-Cana. The brochure outlines appointment steps, possible annulment timing, the FOCCUS inventory and Future worksheet, mentoring by approved couples, session planning, completion certification, and follow-up discussions with parish leadership.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

Why a Special Process

What You Need to Do

What Happens Next

What Happens Now

Then and Finally

A process of marriage preparation for couples previously married, who wish to marry again in the Roman Catholic Church. Who are you? You are a couple one or both of whom have been married before. You plan to be married in the Roman Catholic Church soon. Congratulations! What a wonderful time in your life! Why a special process? People who have been married before bring experience and expectations to their new relationships. Traditional marriage preparation programs are specifically designed for couples who have not had the experience of marriage, the pain of divorce or the loss of a spouse through death. Remarriages often result in ready-made families, including dependent children or fully-grown children from previous unions. Many remarriages end in divorce. This specially designed Marriage Preparation process is designed to help couples identify the areas of strength in their relationships and the areas where they may face real challenges as they approach marriage once again. This process replaces traditional Marriage Prep/Pre-Cana. What do you need to do? First of all, make an appointment with a member of the pastoral team of the parish where you hope to celebrate your marriage. Do this as soon as possible. One or both of you may need a church annulment of your previous marriage before you can marry in the church. Begin the process now. It can take many months. What next? When you speak with the parish pastoral minister, you will receive the information about the diocesan marriage preparation process for couples who have been married before. You will also be asked to complete the Facilitating Open Couple Communication Understanding & Study inventory, a tool designed to help identify strengths in your relationship and areas that need further conversation. At the completion of the FOCCUS process you will receive a FOCCUS on the Future worksheet that will be helpful in the next step of Marriage Preparation. Contact a remarriage mentor couple at once to make your initial appointment. These couples have been recommended to us by their pastors, have been trained and are listed on the back of this brochure. Complete the Who We Are forms in this booklet and mail them to theremarriage mentor couple with whom you have made your appointment. Include your check for $40.00 made out to the Diocese of Rochester. What happens now? At your initial meeting with the remarriage mentor couple, together you will decide how many times you will meet (2-4 are recommended) and what the content of those sessions will be. Please bring your FOCCUS on the Future worksheet to this session. This will help to identify content areas. Then? At your subsequent sessions, you and the remarriage mentor couple will discuss the identified areas of strength in your relationship and areas where you may face challenges. After your sessions are completed, they will issue a certificate of completion of Marriage Preparation. In some situations, recommendations for further steps, i.e. pre-marital counseling, may be made. Finally? Call the parish pastoral minister who worked with you at the beginning of this process. Make an appointment to discuss the remaining details, including preparing your service. It is our hope that this process will give you the best possible start to your marriage in the Church, meeting the needs and addressing the concerns that are specifically yours. Diocesan Second Marriage Mentor Couples Dcn. David and Rebecca Cadregari Mother of Sorrows Church, Greece 5000 Mt. Read Blvd. Rochester, NY 585-352-1973 [rcadregari@hotmail.com](rcadregari@hotmail.com) Bob and Cecelia Cyrana St. Patrick Church, Seneca Falls 1360 Ridley Rd. Phelps, New York 14532-9406 315-548-7686 [ccyrana@yahoo.com](ccyrana@yahoo.com) Nick and Sue Iven St. Mary Our Mother, Horseheads 18 Flint Road Horseheads, NY 14845 607-562-7034 [niven@stny.rr.com](niven@stny.rr.com) Leo and Cynthia Kesselring St. Louis Church, Pittsford 43 Cha

FAQs

Who is this remarriage preparation process for?

It is for couples one or both of whom have been married before and plan to marry again in the Roman Catholic Church soon.

What steps should you take first?

Make an appointment with the parish pastoral team as soon as possible, and begin the process immediately; a church annulment of the previous marriage may be required and can take many months.

What is FOCCUS and how is it used?

You will complete the FOCCUS inventory to identify relationship strengths and areas needing conversation, and then use the FOCCUS on the Future worksheet to help guide the next part of Marriage Preparation.

What happens after the sessions are completed?

The remarriage mentor couple issues a certificate of completion, and in some situations recommendations for further steps such as pre-marital counseling may be made, followed by a final appointment to review service details with the parish pastoral minister.

Sep 27, 2026

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