Holy Name Catholic Church at 3814 Nash Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78223-3499 US - UNITAS

Modeled after the RCIA program; (Rite of Christian Incitation of Adults).  Unitas is a journey for the couple and emphasized elements that are similar to those found in RCIA

·        Faith formation- an essential ingredient for the journey toward sacramental marriage.

·        Information to help couples succeed in marriage today.

·        Opportunities for building connections with the local Church.

Unitas is a program designed to help engaged couples gain insights about their relationship with each other and with the Church community.  Unitas is a step beyond most “pre-Cana” and other marriage preparation programs.  It is a sacramental formation process, designed to help couples recognize that they are an important part of the Church community, and to help them build skills for a faith-filled married life.

The program is a process of marriage formation designed to help couples develop the skills needed for a healthy, holy marriage.  The gift of sacramental marriage blesses both the lives of the couples and the life of the wider Church community.

Unitas achieves three goals:

·        To help couples build faith and spirituality in their relationship.

·        To help couples develop an understanding of areas such as communication, family of origin, conscience development, intimacy building, and family formation.

·        To help couples establish ties with their Church community.

What makes the Unitas program such a success is the use of Marriage Ministry Couples (MMC).  MMC do not have to be saints of be prefect.  The main qualities are faith and being a practicing Catholic and having a relatively successful marriage and are willing to share from their hearts.  They should be married a minimum of five years, our current MMC have been married from ten years to forty years.  MMC serve as sponsor couples at individual tables, presenters, prayer ministers and hospitality ministers.  Many serve in more than one ministry.  The presenting MMC and Deanery Resource Person do weekly presentations jointly.

SESSION 1:  THEOLOGY OF MARRIAGE

Couples learn that marriage is a sacrament and a covenant.  Marriage is a partnership based on Love.  Love not only for one another but for God as well.  That marriage is to be permanent and should be open to life.  Marriage should be a prayerful journey together.  Through this sacrament we create a new unique covenant of love.

SESSION 2:  COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Couples learn that the ability to communicate well with one another is very important.  They learn ways to negotiate and solve daily problems.  They learn the importance of forgiveness and prayer in our lives.  When we speak loving and truthful words to one another, we are imitating the loving conversation of the Eternal Trinity.  This all is foundational for continuing growth in love.

SESSION 3:  INDIVIDUAL AND FAMILY OF ORIGIN

Couples learn the importance of understanding ones self, and how your family ties are important.  How they influence the newly formed family.  How you should be open to change, how to set goals, and what traditions you would like to bring into your marriage.

SESSION 4:  VALUES IN MARRIAGE

We discover that each of us have individual values, as well s shared values.  Couples learn that here are many ways to share our diverse values with our spouse.  Couples learn that how they spend money and time tells them what they really value.  Couples learn about the role of conscience, and how to be open to God, open to prayer and how to be open to the Holy Spirit.  Couples learn about our Faith Community, and how we can share our values with others.

SEASSOIN 5:  INTIMACY AND SEXUALITY

Couples learn how to develop intimacy and get in touch with our “little child”.  They learn that we are all sexual beings and sex is the ultimate gift of body and soul, and is a gift from God.  Most importantly, they learn that “Sex is Holy!”  They learn to be open to new life, the Church understands of family planning, and that children are also a gift from God.  Compare Eucharist (God’s loving Word to us and Communion) and the Sacrament of Marriage (Loving words and Holy intimacy)

SESSION 6:  BALANCING PRACTICAL ISSUES IN RELATIONSHIP

Couples learn about the importance of deciding how they will spend money, budgeting.  They learn how to do a balancing act when discussing how and where they will spend holidays, vacations, etc.  They learn that there are many decisions that will have to be discussed concerning household duties, dual careers, and all money matters.  They learn to pray and ask for guidance in all decisions, and the importance of praying together regularly.