Discipleship

Newlyweds Journey

About this journey

Stepping into a new season of marriage can come with big moments of change and uncertainty. We want to help you extend your accompaniment through these intentional moments of care, and with the goal of pointing newlyweds towards unity with one another and with Christ.

This journey includes three signigicant touch points over the span of their first year of marriage, and an anniversary tool for intentional time together.

Special thanks to Diocese of Vancouver

Diocese of Vancouver

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https://rcav.org/

A special thanks to our work with the Diocese of Vancouver in making this marriage journey.

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Customize for your parish

Everything in this package is ready-made for you to use as is or edit to make it more your own. We've created fully customizable templates in the free-to-use online design tool Canva. Use all the assets together or pick and choose what makes sense for your community.

View the roll-out plan by

Parishioner emails

Care for newlyweds & guide them towards unity.

newlyweds-journey-email-templates

Pages & Assets

Website resources

Encouragement & resources around specific newlywed felt needs.

newlyweds-resource-page

Parishioner emails

This email drip encourage a new marriage from after their wedding to their first anniversary. These touch points give them relevant resources to this specific time in life and point them towards God.

Customize to meet your needs

Email 1: Post wedding

Send a warm congratulations & some helpful resources.

Download

Email 2: 6-9 months into marriage

Remind newlyweds of the importance of God's presence in their marriage and the lifelong journey of growing together.

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An encouragement for your new life together.

Dear _(Name),

I’m sure the past few months have happened quickly! As change always brings for us, I’m sure new things have come up for you and your spouse. I wanted to write to you again and give you some resources that I hope will be beneficial to you in this unique and beautiful time of life.

In new seasons, it can feel like a rush to get everything settled: your home, rhythms, connection, and goals. But the process of growing together is a lifetime journey. I want to encourage you to take time to enjoy the process! Be encouraged that the grace of God is with you in your marriage. It is not on you alone.

With love and prayers,

_{(Ministry Lead or Pastor)}

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Newlywed Resources

“It takes three to make love, not two: you, your spouse, and God. Without God, people only succeed in bringing out the worst in one another. Lovers who have nothing else to do but love each other soon find there is nothing else. Without a central loyalty life is unfinished.”
Venerable Fulton Sheen

"Marriage is to help married people sanctify themselves and others. For this reason they receive a special grace in the sacrament which Jesus instituted. Those who are called to the married state will, with the grace of God, find within their state everything they need to be holy.”
St. Josemaría Escrivá

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Dear _(Name),

With love and prayers,

_{(Ministry Lead or Pastor)}

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Newlywed Resources

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Download

Email 3: First anniversary

Celebrate this milestone & offer intentional ways to connect.

Happy One Year Anniversary!

Dear _(*NAME*),

Happy Anniversary! I pray this day is a chance to reflect on God’s deep and profound love for you.

If you are spending time with your spouse reflecting or celebrating, I want to offer a few questions that will help move you deeper into unity and connection.

Now, bringing a list of questions to your anniversary date may not feel natural to you and your spouse. Maybe you’re thinking: “My spouse won’t respond if I pull out a list of questions!” “This isn’t how my spouse and I talk to one another.” “This feels forced and too cheesy.” “I don’t feel comfortable in this structure.”

Following prompts may feel like a life-saver to you, or they may feel suffocating, or they just aren’t for you. But having a tool in your toolbox can help start intentional and meaningful conversations that may not come naturally, whether you use it entirely or not.

We encourage you that starting any new habit always feels different, new, and uncomfortable at first. But the more you do them, the more normal they feel.

Anniversary Questions

What was the best thing that happened this year?
What was the most challenging thing this year?
What was an unexpected joy this past year?
What was an unexpected obstacle?
Pick three words a close friend would use to describe your year.
What were the best books?
What was something that you grew in valuing of your spouse this past year?
In what ways did you grow emotionally?
In what ways did you grow spiritually?
How did you grow in your relationships?
What was rewarding in your career?
What was rewarding in your home?
Where did you waste your time?
What was the most significant thing you learned this past year?
Create a statement, or choose a word that describes this past year.

Anniversary questions help create an intentional rhythm in your marriage. Maybe it’s the first time you’re doing something like this, or it’s an additional rhythm you’re adding.

Remember, the end goal is not about finishing the questions. Instead, your goal is to see and know each other better.

You can also download the Anniversary Questions here. _{(Link to Anniversary Questions)}

With love and prayers,

_{(Ministry Lead or Pastor)}

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Other Newlywed Resources

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Dear _(*NAME*),

Happy Anniversary! I pray this day is a chance to reflect on God’s deep and profound love for you.

If you are spending time with your spouse reflecting or celebrating, I want to offer a few questions that will help move you deeper into unity and connection.

We encourage you that starting any new habit always feels different, new, and uncomfortable at first. But the more you do them, the more normal they feel.

Anniversary Questions

What was the best thing that happened this year?
What was the most challenging thing this year?
What was an unexpected joy this past year?
What was an unexpected obstacle?
Pick three words a close friend would use to describe your year.
What were the best books?
What was something that you grew in valuing of your spouse this past year?
In what ways did you grow emotionally?
In what ways did you grow spiritually?
How did you grow in your relationships?
What was rewarding in your career?
What was rewarding in your home?
Where did you waste your time?
What was the most significant thing you learned this past year?
Create a statement, or choose a word that describes this past year.

Anniversary questions help create an intentional rhythm in your marriage. Maybe it’s the first time you’re doing something like this, or it’s an additional rhythm you’re adding.

Remember, the end goal is not about finishing the questions. Instead, your goal is to see and know each other better.

You can also download the Anniversary Questions here. _{(Link to Anniversary Questions)}

With love and prayers,

_{(Ministry Lead or Pastor)}

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Other Newlywed Resources

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Download

Website resources

Provide resources for newlyweds as they wrestle with communication, healthy conflict, finances, and more.

Add this page to your Tilma website

Customize to meet your needs

Landing Page

Provide resources for newlyweds as they wrestle with communication, healthy conflict, finances, and more.

Preview page

Welcome to the Newlywed Journey.

The goal of this journey is to make the most of this moment when new couples are coming to the parish by offering care and resources that the parish has available for them. Below is the recommended rollout plan and a list of all the deliverables available to you. Use all the assets together or pick and choose what you want to use. You can edit templates or use them as they are.

We hope this journey brings an opportunity to care for parishioners in this stage of life and remind them that the parish is there for them in this season. We hope that this either provides a foundation for you or inspiration to the accompaniment journey you already have in your parish.

Some things we recommend:

Schedule emails as soon as you are through the marriage prep process and / or notified of someone’s wedding date, so you don’t have to keep track of the right dates manually.
Sign off each email from the leader in your parish that makes the most sense - your Marriage Prep leader, Pastor, or the parish as a whole.
Use what you want within this journey but edit to make it right for your parish community.
Add relevant events / resources from your local parish to these email templates.

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Part 1 - Congratulations on your wedding!

Celebrate this beautiful, and life-changing moment for the couple by sending a short email to congratulate them. This email recognizes the commitment they just made and offer relevant resources to this specific time in their marriage.

Part 2: Encourage in the first 9 months

Part 3 - Help make the first anniversary meaningful

As a couple comes up to their first year anniversary, take time to celebrate this milestone with them and keep encouraging them to make it meaningful. This email provides a template of anniversary questions to help make their first year anniversary (and the future ones!) meaningful and intentional. It also provides relevant resources to this specific time in their marriage.

Related resources

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