"Marriage:  A covenant or partnership of life between a man and woman” Catechism of the Catholic Church. Love is patient, love is kind…It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails.  (1 Corinthians 13: 4, 7, 8)	Covenant of Life Marriage Preparation Retreat A very helpful way to grow closer to each other and to Christ while preparing for a life long marriage. Our retreat consists of presentations, discussions, reflections, prayer, and celebrations of the Sacraments of Penance and Eucharist. Very importantly, you will have the opportunity to grow deeper in love with your fiancé in order to build a marriage that will last a life time. THIS YEAR’S RETREAT DATES October 3, 4, 5, 2008   RETREAT SCHEDULE FRIDAY 6:30 - 10:00 P.M. SATURDAY 7:45 A.M. - 4:45 P.M. SUNDAY 7:45 A.M. - 1:00 P.M.   COST $200.00 per couple (This includes all meals, books, and materials for both of you. We ask you to send us a $25 registration fee to let us know you are coming as a part of the $200.) Email BrianD@risenchristchurch.org  Registration Form LOCATION Parish Hall of Church of the Risen Christ 3060 South Monaco Parkway Denver, CO 80222	What is special about our retreat? Father Ken Leone will be with us on the entire retreat. It’s a truly spiritual and relaxing experience. Four or five married couples give their whole weekend to us. We have a special program to introduce Natural Family Planning. We cover the life skills and Sacramentality of Marriage.
What is the content of the retreat? The theme of our retreat is the “Covenant of Life”, and this covenant begins in the wedding vows.  The four main parts of the vows will be addressed in the following ways: “Freely and Without Reservations” *Base your relationship on honesty and trust *Grow in your communication skills with each other               Conflict Resolution               Communication Styles *Grow in your communication with God              Ideas for prayer, together and personally             (time to pray on the retreat) “Give Yourselves to Each Other” *Build a Relationship of Mutual Self-Giving *Understand Each other better              Discussion on Family of Origin              Explore Individual Strengths and Weaknesses *Understand the grace of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony             When do you receive it?              How to tighten the bonds of your love              Ideas for romance “Accept Children Lovingly” *Discussion on Sex and Sexuality *Learn about State of the Art Natural Family Planning *Discuss how you will plan your family *Parenting Discussion “All the Days of Your Life” *Grow in understanding of True Faithfulness *Learn about the Power of Forgiveness *Discussion on Finances      Plan how you will budget      Stewardship *Help Each Other to Heaven (the Goal of Marriage)      How will you support each other in faith?