Overview For Engaged or Civilly Married Couples
For Mentor Couples For Pastors, Assistant Pastors and Deacons
Witness to Love is a marriage mentorship program that is part of the Marriage Formation course in the Archdiocese of Vancouver. The cost is included in the Marriage Formation course fee. This is a requirement in many parishes that have been trained to roll it out. Every couple can participate in Witness to Love whether it is offered by your parish or not.
- Canadian Martyrs Parish, Richmond
- Christ the Redeemer Parish, West Vancouver
- Corpus Christi Parish, Vancouver
- Holy Cross Parish, Burnaby
- Immaculate Conception Parish, Delta
- Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Coquitlam
- Our Lady of Good Counsel, Surrey
- Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Coquitlam
- Our Lady of Mercy Parish, Burnaby
- Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Vancouver
- Precious Blood Parish, Surrey
- St. Anthony of Padua Parish, Vancouver
- St. Augustine’s Parish, Vancouver
- St. Bernadette’s Parish, Surrey
- St. Clare of Assisi Parish, Coquitlam
- St. Francis de Sales Parish, Burnaby
- St. Mary’s Parish, Chilliwack
- St. Mary’s Parish, Vancouver
- St. Matthew’s Parish, Surrey
- St. Nicholas Parish, Langley
- St. Patrick’s Parish, Vancouver
- St. Paul’s Parish, Richmond
Please e-mail [email protected] if:
- Your parish does not offer marriage mentorship, but you are interested to know how you can participate in this program, or;
- You have questions about marriage mentorship and the Witness to Love program.
The program is virtues-based, structured and relational, made up of the couple preparing for marriage and a mentor couple they have personally chosen based on the following criteria:
- Someone they admire and look up to
- Has been married in the Church for five years or more
- Attends Sunday Mass regularly
- Not a close relative
What does the Church say about mentorship?
“The initial years of marriage are a vital and sensitive period during which couples become more aware of the challenges and meaning of married life. Consequently, pastoral accompaniment needs to go beyond the actual celebration of the sacrament (Familiaris Consortio, Part III). In this regard, experienced couples have an important role to play.”
-Pope Francis, Amoris Laetitia #223
How does mentorship work?
Couples preparing for marriage meet their mentors every month for six months in the comfort of their homes or at a quiet location of their choice before the wedding day. Each session lasts about 90 minutes of conversations.
What are the benefits?
The mentor couple will journey with you as you prepare for marriage and will continue the relationship with you into your marriage. You are building a relationship with a couple you can learn to trust, to turn to in times of difficulty, to ask tough questions and seek support from throughout your marriage.
(The B.C. Catholic, Sept. 2023)
For Engaged or Civilly Married Couples For Mentor Couples
For Pastors, Assistant Pastors and Deacons