(320) 258-7611 www.getfullyengaged.com
Winter 2020 Quarterly Newsletter
Fully Engaged is committed to serving parishes and the facilitators in their mission to provide quality marriage preparation and formation for the engaged couples they minister to. This is the first of a quarterly newsletter to enhance this ministry.

Our goal is to share tips, tools, new materials, and current articles/media on marriage that will aid Fully Engaged Facilitators in their work. Please share this with the other mentors in your parish. You may also wish to share the email addresses of mentor couples with us so they can receive future editions directly. Send email addresses to Chris Codden at ccodden@gw.stcdio.org.
PLEASE SHARE THIS NEWSLETTER WITH YOUR MENTOR COUPLES.
Updating Website
It has been almost 10 years since we developed the Fully Engaged web-site. While it has served us well, we are seeing the need to up-date and enhance its function. Over the next five to six months, we will be going over major revisions, with the site being completely rebuilt. We are hoping this transition will be seamless, but do anticipate minor inconveniences. Please let us know if you are having difficulties as we strive to serve you better during this project.
Handling Statements on Contraception
One of the toughest issues to address with engaged couples (if not the toughest) is contraception. Not only is it a topic which includes decisions on intimacy in a couple's life, but is the least understood teaching of the Church.
While contraception seems like it is only a single issue, it spills out into so much more. When couple's make the decision to contracept prior to marriage, it sets up other important choices on premarital sex, the gift of new life, whether or not to cohabitate and how they view the teachings of the Church. If they can side-step this one area, doesn't that make it easier to turn their back on more?
Our role is vital in this discussion, so we need to be knowledgeable so we can address the engaged couples questions in a straight-forward, compelling, and engaging way. Listed below are some good resources you may wish to give the couple as homework prior to your discussion.
Couple's Workbook

Page 18 in the Intimacy Section:   
“CONTRACEPTION: A crucial aspect of a married couple’s sexual relationship is their openness to new life, the procreative dimension of intercourse. If we agree that sexual intercourse is the complete and total sharing of two people, then this implies that they share their bodies, minds, souls, and futures. The Church teaches, then, that every act of sexual intercourse should remain open to the transmission of new life, with the use of contraception in serious error. (Humanae vitae, no. 12)”
Church's documents:
“When married couples deliberately act to suppress fertility, however, sexual intercourse is no longer fully marital intercourse. It is something less powerful and intimate, something more ‘casual.’ Suppressing fertility by using contraception denies part of the inherent meaning of married sexuality and does harm to the couple’s unity. The total giving of oneself, body and soul, to one’s beloved is no time to say: ‘I give you everything I am—except …’ The Church’s teaching is not only about observing a rule, but about preserving that total, mutual gift of two persons in its integrity.
 
“This may seem a hard saying. Certainly it is a teaching that many couples today, through no fault of their own, have not heard (or not heard in a way they could appreciate and understand). But as many couples who have turned away from contraception tell us, living this teaching can contribute to the honesty, openness, and intimacy of marriage and help make couples truly fulfilled.”  ( Married Love and the Gift of Life issued by the USCCB November 14, 2006.) 

Click here for full brochure" Married Love and the Gift of Life " USCCB 2006


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What influence does religion have on Americans’ lives?
From Catholic News Service: A new Pew poll has revealed Americans' attitudes regarding religion in civil life. One finding: Catholics polled second highest among Christians in saying churches should keep out of political matters. 
snowshoe-couple.jpg
5 Ways to Stay Connected with Your Spouse
From Marriage Today: When we lock eyes with our spouse for the first time on our wedding day, we can’t imagine a deeper connection with a human being. We can’t wait to spend every day getting to know them more, and we never consider that the realities of life might cause us seasons of disconnection or even frustration with each other. We forget that we are all constantly changing and growing. Nevertheless, it happens.
New Catholic Identity Supplement in Spanish
Our newest Supplement on Catholic Identity is now available in Spanish. To aid you in your discussion with the engaged couple, we developed the Catholic Identity Supplement. This is a good resource to give the couple as homework before you discuss the "Catholic Identity" section.

Click here to download our newest resource from our website.

The additional resources listed on the back page of the supplement are also listed on a new page on our website: http://www.getfullyengaged.com/engaged-couples-resources/ This page also has the Financial and Infertility & Adoption Supplements and links.

All three supplements are available online to download for free or they may be purchased in packs of 10 for $10. To order, log in and click on ‘Order Materials’ in the upper right corner of your Parish Page. Materials can be ordered 24/7.
For Leaders
Preparing couples for marriage, supporting families, and educating the faithful on the Church’s teaching about marriage and family are all valuable ministries. To help you in your ministry, we’ve compiled resources here for your use and reference, and we’ll continue to update the page in the coming months. We hope and pray that they aid you in your work! Click here to go to For Your Marriage
Billing & Invoices
When placing an order for Fully Engaged materials, you will receive an invoice and packing slip with your order. The invoice is due within 30 days. If payment is not received in that 30 days, a $15 late fee is accessed on the next quarterly billing.
If a quarterly billing is not received within 30 days, a $15 late fee is access on the next quarterly billing.
Reminder:
When your parish has clergy or staff changes that effect billing and inventory contacts, please call us so we can update our records with updated names, email addresses, etc. Thank you.
Thank you for your commitment to forming couples for the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony.
Have questions, or ideas for up-coming newsletters, please let us know. You can contact Chris at ccodden@gw.stcdio.org or Jill at jill.svihel@gw.stcdio.org or call the office at (320) 258-7611.