All rights reserved. Permission is hereby granted to reproduce excerpts in articles or newsletters or for reproduction and free distribution in its entirety. Today almost half the couples who come for marriage preparation in the Catholic Church are in a cohabiting relationship.
Living together in this way involves varying degrees of physical and emotional interaction. Such a relationship is a false sign. It contradicts the meaning of a sexual relationship in marriage as the total gift of oneself in fidelity, exclusivity, and permanency. Over the past twenty-five years, cohabitation has become a major social phenomenon affecting the institution of marriage and family life.
The intent of this volume was to be a resource for those involved in marriage preparation work. It remains a very useful and comprehensive pastoral tool. Faithful to Each Other Forever discussed pp. In this latter section, the handbook drew upon the written policies of a few dioceses to present a range of possible options for working with cohabiting couples who come seeking marriage in the Church.
Now, nearly twelve years after the original work of Faithful to Each Other Forever , the cumulative pastoral experience of ministering to cohabiting couples has broadened and deepened. This is reflected, at least partially, in the increased number of dioceses that now include a treatment of the issue within their marriage preparation policies.
The paper adopts the same two-part structure: empirical data and pastoral approaches. Its purpose is two-fold:. This paper is neither an official statement of the Committee on Marriage and Family nor of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops.
