Pre-Cana, here we come!

According to the rules of the Catholic Church, each engaged couple is required to prepare for the Sacrament of Marriage through attendance at marital preparation sessions, generally called Pre-Cana. Where does this term come from, you may ask? Well, according to the gospel of St. John, it was at a wedding reception in the town of Cana that Jesus performed his first miracle: the changing of water into wine.

A lot of people talk about weddings (present company included!), but it is important to remember that at the heart of each wedding is a marriage. Pre-Cana is the Catholic Church's way of helping couples prepare for the challenges that are part of every marriage. As Benjamin Franklin once wisely stated: "By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail." Well, we don't want our names in that category so instead we will prepare to succeed.

As I mentioned in my post last month, I've been awaiting Pre-Cana since June, when we first met with Deacon Fred to schedule our wedding date and he described the uniqueness of the program St. John's runs. The waiting is over and the time is here! Shep and I will be driving out to Long Island later this afternoon to attend this evening's session, followed by an all-day session tomorrow. Hopefully we'll learn some good marriage survival tips, get to know each other a little better, and come back together as a stronger couple ready for all that our marriage will offer us. Wish us luck!