World Church · October 12, 2026
Also published in Português (Brasil)
Polish Church Expands Marriage Preparation Programs
The Catholic Church in Poland is the sole institution dedicated to preparing couples for marriage and parenthood. Each diocese establishes the framework for this preparation, which can take various forms including weekend retreats, series of meetings lasting several weeks or months, and classes, workshops, or retreats. Some programs combine multiple elements, while others include sessions at family counseling centers. Options are available in English, for adults over 35, and online.
The movement known as Marriage Encounters offers specific programs for engaged couples and those seriously considering a shared future. These include closed retreats for the engaged and a cycle of nine weekly evening meetings for couples in love, each lasting about three hours. Both formats use a workshop method where the participants' own work in pairs is the most important element. This provides an opportunity for calm conversation on important topics, a better understanding of mutual expectations, and the establishment of a shared hierarchy of values. In several cities, these evening meetings are organized in cooperation with Dominican fathers at pastoral centers near Dominican monasteries.
The Foundation for Family Assistance in Lomianki, operating with the Faculty of Family Studies at the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, implements a marriage preparation program. This proposal is for engaged couples from the archdioceses of Warsaw, Gdansk, and Koszalin-Kolobrzeg. It includes two on-site workshop sessions, one of which is an intensive weekend session, and five e-learning tasks that engaged couples complete at home between the first and second meetings. This allows them to try to introduce positive changes in their relationship in practice.
The project Before Us Marriage is implemented within the structures of the Light-Life Movement Association in cooperation with the Family Pastoral Care of the Archdiocese of Katowice. Example topics include God's goals for marriage, sexual relationship and bond, and in-laws. Centers implementing the course were established at parishes in a dozen or so cities in Silesia and beyond. Engaged couples from Great Britain and Ireland can use this course in Belfast. Classes take place on weekends or as weekly evening meetings, with the option to experience the course during a weekend trip.
The Archdiocesan Catechetical Center in Lodz implements a program for the engaged based on the catechetical method. It is planned as a form of initiation into the sacrament of marriage through lectures, exercises, testimonies, celebrations, work with the Word of God, dialogue, and accompaniment. A program is also implemented at the parish of Our Lady Queen of Poland in Warsaw, involving the parish priest and about 10 married couples who lead the meetings. The program emphasizes an individual approach and the appropriate selection of leaders for groups of listeners.
Family counseling centers operate in over 2,500 parishes in Poland. These centers serve engaged couples, conduct training on responsible parenting, and provide help in resolving family conflicts or educational problems. A trend is emerging away from small parish counseling centers toward specialized counseling centers where comprehensive, professional help can be obtained in various fields. According to 2023 data, 120 Catholic specialized counseling centers operated in Poland, offering help not only from pastors and family life advisors but also lawyers, psychologists, addiction therapists, and sexologists. The offer of these centers is also directed to non-believing couples.
A foundation established in 2016 in Szczecin implements the mission of the Donum Vitae Foundation, which is comprehensive care for marriage and family. It brings together a group of specialists, including therapists, mediators, advisors, midwives, pedagogues, psychologists, and clergy. The foundation operates a 24-hour trust phone, offers psychological support, organizes spiritual care, helps in medical-legal procedures, and co-organizes funerals of unborn children. A special mission of the foundation and its counseling center is support for parents after a loss. The Family Accompaniment Foundation named after Professor Stanislaw Grygiel operates in the Krakow archdiocese. Its mission is to support the family in development in relation to Christian values. It organizes workshops, training, and thematic meetings, and provides constant care from psychologists and psychotherapists in various places throughout the archdiocese.