Abstract
This article reviews and comments on the ‘Catechumenal Itineraries for Married Life. Pastoral guidelines for particular Churches’, by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. With these guidelines, the dicastery intends an itinerary for formation into Christian married life, inspired by the baptismal catechumenate. The approach is not only catechetical, but also proposes dialogue, prayer and rituals, and a welcoming into the wider Church community. It is argued that the principle of graduality needs to be applied for cohabiting, engaged couples who want to marry in the church. The concrete proposal for this new catechumenal pathway consists of three phases: 1) a pre-catechumenal phase, which is a remote preparation meant for children and adolescents; 2) an intermediate phase, for the welcoming of the candidates for marriage and 3) a catechumenal phase, subdivided into three stages: a) forthcoming preparation, b) immediate preparation and c) accompanying the first years of married life.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 285-290 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | INTAMS Review |
Volume | 28 |
Issue number | 2 |
Publication status | Published - 5 Mar 2023 |
Keywords
- Marriage
- preparation times
- Catholic Church