Marriage Prep | Archdiocese of New York

Congratulations on your decision to get married in the Catholic Church!

The marriage preparation/formation period is a time to not only prepare for your wedding day, but also for your marriage. The following steps are your starting point on this journey.

During this COVID-19 period, we have modified the in-person Pre-Cana Day to be a virtual experience, which now makes the entire archdiocesan marriage prep program online. The virtual Pre-Canas are open for registration within your marriage prep account.

Para preparación matrimonial (Pre-Caná) en español, haga clic aquí

Step 1: Meet with Your Priest/Deacon

Your priest/deacon is your main source for information about preparing for the sacrament of matrimony. During your initial meeting, he can determine your freedom to marry, how many times he wants to meet with you and what marriage preparation he wants you to complete.

The Archdiocese of New York Marriage Preparation Program requires that your priest/deacon guide you to select one of the following online premarital inventories (you will need to specify this when you register online):

- - Prepare/Enrich (requires a facilitator)
  - Catholic Couple Checkup (without facilitator)

Step 2: Register / Login

After meeting with your priest/deacon, click here to register (or login) for the Archdiocese of New York Marriage Preparation Program. The cost is $150 per couple. Please note that class size is limited and fill up quickly.

Step 3: Online Premarital Inventory

It is ideal to complete your online premarital inventory before attending your Pre-Cana. Premarital inventories help couples discover their relationship strengths as well as issues that threaten the vitality of their relationship and may need to be addressed.

Catholic Couple Checkup and Prepare/Enrich are part of the archdiocesan marriage preparation program and are selected when you meet with your priest/deacon and then recorded at marriage preparation registration.

Step 4: Pre-Cana and Online Components

The archdiocesan marriage preparation program is a set of integrated components including online learning modules and a one-day, in-person experience of faith, witness and community:

Online Modules: These include short educational videos with follow-up worksheets.

Pre-Cana

In-person Pre-Canas are held on Saturdays, and some evenings, year-round, at churches and retreat centers throughout the Archdiocese of New York. You should participate in Pre-Cana 3-12 months prior to your wedding.
Built around short, high-quality video modules and engaging facilitators, Pre-Cana provides practical advice and assistance for engaged couples on topics including self-awareness, communication, conflict resolution, commitment, and decision-making. The day is also designed to help couples understand and embrace a Catholic vision of married love by offering insights into the “whys” behind the “whats” of Catholic teaching.

Program Evaluation: When you have completed your Pre-Cana, and all of the segments of the entire marriage preparation program, you will be asked to complete anonymous surveys to provide your feedback.

Certificate of Completion: When you have completed the program and evaluations, a certificate will be available to download.

Step 5: Follow-up Meeting(s) with Your Priest/Deacon

These will be as your priest/deacon requires. You should ask during your initial meeting how often and when these meetings will happen. Also, this is a good time to bring any questions you have about topics you heard during your marriage preparation program.

Step 6: Take an NFP/FABM class (strongly recommended)

Visit our Fertility Awareness/ NFP page for more information.

Pre-Cana Dates

Premarital Inventories

Marriage FAQs