By Barb Szyszkiewicz, OFS
This article was first posted
Two marriage-and-family writers have teamed up to put together a book of tips for Catholic singles seeking marriage. Jennifer Roback Morse and Betsy
Kerekes compiled 101 Tips for Marrying the Right Person.
Subtitled “Helping Singles Find Each Other, Contemplate Marriage and Say I Do,” the book is divided into several sections (depending on what point
in a relationship you’re in at the moment):
- The Search is On: Being Both Optimistic and Realistic
- Best Practices
- Potential Pitfalls
- Earnest Questions
- Red Flags
- Great Expectations
- Cohabiting: Should You?
- Cohabiting: Are You?
- Perfect Timing
- Marriage Planning: Focus on the Marriage, Not the Wedding
Faithfully Catholic from start to finish, this book is designed to help young adult Catholics at all stages of relationships. Some tips are designed for
solo reflection; others will provide good and necessary conversation-starters for couples. In the introduction, the authors note that our culture places
many significant hurdles in the way of singles discerning marriage. They go on to state that they included two chapters on cohabitation because this
is “one of the most significant marriage-preparation challenges faced by churches today;” the authors present solid advice without casting blame, and
encourage couples to seek–and follow–pastoral advice.
These 101 tips are short, none longer than a page, but they are candidly challenging and surprisingly substantive.
