What is the Covenant of Love Marriage Ministry

The Covenant of Love is a ministry… a call to action… an initiative and a resource offered to parishes to strengthen existing marriage ministries or a foundation to build one. It works to educate, strengthen, promote and advocate the splendor and truth of God’s plan for marriage.

The Covenant of Love Ministry was designed to help create and foster a stronger marriage community at the parish level. This ministry will provide opportunities to become educated on marriage in accordance with Church teaching and it will enrich good marriages. It will advocate for the dignity, sanctity and permanence of marriage and most importantly will be a vehicle to provide practical tools for couples to successfully and joyfully live out God’s plan for their vocation of marriage, in turn giving them encouragement and hope in their marriage relationships. The Covenant of Love Marriage Ministry will coordinate, create and offer various marriage education and enrichment opportunities for the parish and will be comprised of several sub-ministries (i.e. Marriage Group and the Marriage Disciples). If you already have a marriage ministry or couples ministry, we can assist you in adding new dimensions that will enhance what you are already doing. Our programs can be easily blended into an existing marriage ministry, or it can become the foundation to build a new one.

Couples Need Help

Christ teaches us in Matthew 19:6 that a married couple is “no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” But marriage is hard, and too often, couples receive little or no help from their local parish. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops reported that a majority of married couples show a real desire for more marriage enrichment and educational activities at the parish or diocesan level, such as adult faith formation classes, support groups, retreats, and mentoring for couples who are experiencing difficulties in their marriages.

Our Response

Long before these responses were made, The Alexander House was already piloting what has become known as the Covenant of Love Marriage Ministry. For the past 9 years the Alexander House, has helped hundreds of couples reconcile and has assisted them in living out joy-filled marriages and saw a need for a parish-based marriage ministry. Their approach has been called, by others, the practical applications of Theology of the Body; it combines theology, psychology, and lived experience to strengthen, sustain, and restore marriages.

Relational Ministry

Covenant of Love seeks to build strong relationships. The goal of the ministry is to create an atmosphere where couples can come together and strengthen their marriages. But Covenant of Love also wants to build a strong relationship with its member parishes. Through a Covenant of Love subscription, a member parish will receive:

1. An informational binder for your parish to start the ministry.

2. Access to a “partner’s only” section of the website containing information that will include exciting and educational resources to keep the marriage ministry alive in your parish.

3. Ongoing conference calls and email support

4. Prayer support through The Alexander House prayer ministry – a ministry of people around the country praying for your parish and your ministry.

5. Discounts on products and services.

Pope John Paul II insisted that the “pastoral intervention of the Church in support of the family is a matter of urgency.” He called attention to three stages of marital preparation and also recognized the need for pastoral care after marriage. He entrusted the mission of marriage education to the Church community (especially the parish), the family (in itself and by ministering to other families), and associations of families.

(Familiaris Consortio, 65-72)

The Cost

The cost to become a partner in the Covenant of Love is based on the number of registered families in your parish.

Charitable Sponsorship Appeal

As you can see the annual fee to be a Covenant of Love Marriage Ministry Partner is very minimal but we want to make this program affordable for all. Your participation in this appeal will help offset our operating expenses for the ministry but also helps The Alexander House in the development of future material for the Covenant of Love Marriage Ministry. We ask all partners to offer a “Charitable Sponsorship Opportunity” for the parish. This not only helps The Alexander House but it helps your parish also, because 10% of the total money collected from the campaign will be given back to the parish. This gives you an opportunity to fund your budget for the ministry in your parish. Materials will be available on the website to assist you in this appeal and it is suggested that you do not initiate an appeal until after the ministry has been operational for at least 6 months. The Alexander House is a lay apostolate and a 501 (c) 3 organization and all donations are tax deductible in accordance with tax law.

For an annual subscription fee your parish will receive:

1. A binder to start the ministry.
2. A password to access the password protected area of the Covenant of Love website that will be full of information that will include exciting and educational resources to keep the marriage ministry alive in your parish.
3. Ongoing phone and e-mail support.
4. Discount to the Annual Leadership Conference – offering an opportunity to pray, celebrate and learn the depths of God’s plan for marriage through His Church.
5. Prayer support through The Alexander House prayer ministry – a ministry of people around the country praying for your parish and your ministry.
6. Discounts on products and services.
A. Discount on future training fees (i.e. Marriage Disciples – a parish-based marriage mentor program soon to be released).
B. 20% off resources purchased as a group on all resources offered by The Alexander House through its online store.

The “partners only” section of the website will include:

• A monthly online "Covenant of Love" newsletter.
• Loads of ready to use small group ice breakers, outreach tools, creative prayer ideas and other ideas for group meetings.
• A library of articles and resources grouped by topic; allows you to find information on various group topics. • Ability to share resources of the site with others in your church.
• Automatic signup for our Covenant of Love “Thoughts”.
• 10% off Alexander House hosted conferences as a group and 10% off program trainings (i.e. Marriage Disciples).