Sponsor couple events

Facebooktwittermail

By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger

The diocesan Faith Formation Office is hosting sponsor couple training/refresher workshops in the coming months in addition to an October enrichment event. Sponsor couples journey with engaged couples preparing for the sacrament of matrimony in the Catholic Church, enriching their own marriage along the way.

By participating in these workshops, current and prospective sponsor couples can fulfill the diocesan guidelines for sponsor couples, which were set in December. Previously, parishes often set their own guidelines for sponsor couple training and enrichment, said Marianne Agnoli, diocesan coordinator of marriage and family life. The new diocesan guidelines, which include attending a diocesan-approved training workshop and a willingness to participate in yearly sponsor couple enrichment, help ensure that sponsor couples in the diocese have a consistent training experience. All prospective sponsor couples are required to attend a diocesan workshop. She highly recommends that veteran sponsor couples also attend a training/refresher workshop so they can receive the most updated training and resources.
For convenience, workshops will take place throughout the diocese. Parishes can call Agnoli to set up a training session, as well.

Barb Arland-Fye
Maria and Erasmo Herrera exchange vows during their wedding Mass at St. Mary Parish in Davenport. Father Guillermo Trevino presided at the Dec. 31 Mass.

Current parish sponsor couples ministering in the Diocese of Davenport are encouraged to attend a diocesan sponsor couple enrichment event, “Radical Listening in the Family,” Oct. 28 at St. Wenceslaus Parish in Iowa City. The daylong workshop will help couples enhance their listening skills for the benefit of their marriages, families and the engaged couples they serve. Barb Schwery, executive director of Befriender Ministry, will facilitate the workshop.

epay

To learn more about participating in the ministry of Sponsor Couple, contact Agnoli at (563) 888-4242 or agnolim@davenportdiocese.org.

Training/refresher courses

• Oct. 29: St. Alphonsus- Mt. Pleasant, noon-3:30 p.m.
• Nov. 5: Our Lady of Lourdes-Bettendorf, 1-4 p.m.
• Nov. 6: Our Lady of Lourdes-Bettendorf, 6:30-9:30 p.m.
• Nov. 12: St. Boniface-Farmington, noon-3 p.m.
Please contact Marianne Agnoli at agnolim@davenportdiocese.org or (563) 888-4242 at least one week prior to the scheduled training to register.

Enrichment workshop for current sponsor couples

“Radical Listening in the Family,” Oct. 28 at St. Wenceslaus Parish in Iowa City. Registration and flyer links are available at https://www.davenportdiocese.org/
radical-listening-workshop. Registration due by Oct. 16.


Support The Catholic Messenger’s mission to inform, educate and inspire the faithful of the Diocese of Davenport – and beyond! Subscribe to the print and/or e-edition, or make a one-time donation, today!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Facebooktwittermail
Posted on