Marriage SPA—Spiritual, Practical & Affirming!
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The Marriage SPA is a fun, interactive, informative day, planned and facilitated by professionals and trained personnel for the purpose of Marriage Enrichment. The purpose of the SPA is multifaceted: It is Spiritual, Practical and Affirming. It was created by the Family Life Office in an effort to provide, inexpensive, Catholic faith-based, marriage enrichment for couples married for any length of time and it’s continuation at the host parish.
In SPA three presentations are given: Building Intimacy Through Resolving Conflict, Celebrating Differences and Reviewing the Vows. Between the presentations couples meet and build community with other couples who share the same values and concerns.
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WHEN ASKED WHAT PARTICIPANTS LIKED, THEY RESPONDED:
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- The Not-So-Newly-Wed game was really fun
- All the topics presented in the SPA were FANTASTIC! Educational! I highly recommend this day
- The cake and sharing with a prayer candle, thanking each other for support and joy
- This wasn’t just a day, it was time for us and what a treat.
- The variety of topics applicable for married couples of all stages
- the exercises we did as couples
- Dynamic speakers and interactive games
- The focus on the positive aspects of our married life
- The opportunity to learn new reasons to appreciate each other
- Restating our Vows
- The explanation of sacred space
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WHEN ASKED ABOUT ANY NEW INSIGHTS, THE PARTICIPANTS WROTE:
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- How to communicate and be aware of each others feelings
- To be more of a listener than a talker
- Awareness of differences between introvert and extrovert
- Discovering the needs men and women have, men want to be respected while women want to be cherished
- The importance of empathy in marriage
- The tool of mirroring for greater communication
- A renewal and a new aspect of a prior experience
- There are no small problems
- Our vows are life giving and lived daily
- Learning that conflict may be my unwillingness or willingness to contribute
- Balance of passion and security
- The actions to be watchful of that can be especially harmful to a relationship or indicate severe trouble
- How to make the time to talk – how to identify characteristics in myself
- How important it is to cherish my wife
- To recall my spouse’s feelings, both good and bad
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When is the next Marriage SPA?
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Contact the Office of Family Life & Pastoral Care at (407) 246-4865.