MVS

Jp and I had our Marriage Vocation Seminar for the Engaged last weekend (Oct6/7, 2007). This was one of the requirements for our wedding but I made myself clear with Jp that I wanted us to attend not because it was required but because this is something that can help us be good parents and life partners in the future. This is similar with Discovery Weekend except that we didn't have to stay overnight. We are lucky that the CTK Parish conducts this kind of program for the engaged couples. This is a very good time for the couple to asses themselves and talk further about their decision of getting married.

As for me and Jp, we enjoyed the weekend. Yes, we didn't have enough weekend rest and were both back to work today but it was really worth it. Most of the questions asked after the sessions weren't anymore new to us, since we talk about these things over dinner or desserts. This made me realize that we were really doing things the right way. There were six topics discussed during the program and of each topics, there were married couple speakers who shared their experiences. After that, we are asked to answer some questionnaires individually in which we had a "couple discussion" thereafter. The group discussion was the last procedure. We were divided into several groups and an elder facilitated the discussion. This was the fun part also because we were able to learn about the opinion of the other couples during the seminar. There were no right or wrong answers because truly marriage is a continuous process that all of us engaged couples will learn as we work on our lives together.

During the very first part of the program, we were asked to introduce ourselves and say something endearing about our partners. I became speechless when it was Jp's turn to speak. This man never fails to surprise me. He really knows how to make me fall in love with him over and over again :)

We were separately asked to prepare a "secret" letter for our partners. Us girls were instructed to personally interpret a marriage vow in a form of a letter for our fiances. On the other hand, the men were asked to write letters for their future wives. And here's what I got from my ever-loving Jp...

Three last sessions of the program were discussed during the 2nd day. We even had a game after lunch. We played this human jack n poy, girls against boys and of course, the wives won!hehe! One intimate part was when we were these small boxes where we wrote our simplest but very meaningful promises to our partners. We had to keep them back to the boxes and return to the facilitators because they will be blessed during the mass. We were only allowed to read them during the mass. The seminar ended with a mass.

The program wasn't perfect. In fact, Jp and I have the same comments like how impromptu it was,how bad the food were(hehe), how the timetable wasn't followed, and how bad the souvenir photos were taken. Nevertheless, this was a very memorable experience for us. A story that we can share to our kids someday. Topics particularly love and marriage, sexual communication,parenting and marriage as a sacrament were all very interesting, and oh! the family planning part was interesting too!haha! ;P

Hmm, I can't help but wish to be able to tell our love story someday and inspire other couples that... married life is indeed wonderful! :)

Marriage Vocation Seminar for the Engaged
Christ the King Parish Church
Greenmeadows Ave.
For inquiries, contact Ms Lily (632)633-0280