Marriage is a commitment for life.

When a couple seek to celebrate their love and commitment in a Catholic church in the Sacrament of Marriage the Christian community rejoices with them.

Strong marriages, which work well and endure the ups and downs of life, are good for the family concerned, but also for the church and for our wider society.

Effective preparation for Christian marriage draws the couple closer to Christ, enhances their appreciation of the riches of the Sacrament, and offers tools to foster the growth of their human relationship.

The recent Synod emphasised the importance of preparation for marriage, and our own Bishops’ Conference has been working on guidelines for marriage preparation.  In Middlesbrough Diocese a small group of lay people and clergy with experience in marriage preparation has developed a project and successfully bid for a grant from the Bishops’ Conference to put it into action.

Our vision is for every parish to offer engaged couples marriage preparation which is effective in both the spiritual and practical dimensions.  It will include meetings with the priest, attending a course on human relationships, and also a welcome from the parish community, offering prayer and support during the period of preparation and after the wedding.

We will appoint a ‘marriage preparation consultant’ who will, over the next two years, develop diocesan resources and put this vision into practice.  Significantly, more lay people will be asked to be part of the process, some of whom will be trained to facilitate preparation courses.

The consultant will work the equivalent of one day a week for two years, and the Diocese will provide the resources needed to implement the vision from the grant it has been awarded.

This is an exciting opportunity to put in place a framework which will help couples to build strong foundations for their married lives for years to come.

Is this a task that you could undertake or do you know someone who should be encouraged to apply for the post?

If you would like more information about the post of Marriage Preparation Consultant, please do not hesitate to contact Canon Derek Turnham on 01642 292552 or by email at derekturnham@dioceseofmiddlesbrough.co.uk

The engagement will be on a month by month basis equating to one day per week for up to two years with a monthly allowance of £500.00 plus expenses.

The closing date for receipt of applications is 26 February 2016