Here are the basic steps to starting a Covenant of Love (COL) ministry in your parish.

1.    Contact our COL Program Coordinator.  Then we’ll assign a COL program coordinator to your parish to ensure the ministry is set up properly, and continues to be a successful program in your church community.

2.    Receive Approval from the Pastor.  The pastor must approve before the process begins.  Use the Ministry Promo Packet to share with your pastor the vision of the Covenant of Love Ministry and the Couples of Faith Marriage Group.  After Once you have the pastor’s permission you are free to start building the foundation for the ministry.  Please share that no further involvement of the pastor is needed unless he desires to be involved. However, it is important that he demonstrates support for the ministry through announcements, letters and in his conversations.

3.    Register your Parish.  To request a registration form you may call Joanna Mancini, the Covenant of Love Director, at The Alexander House at 210.858.5374.

4.    Receive Covenant of Love Year 1 CD Rom . Once your parish has successfully completed registration the Covenant of Love Coordinator will be a CD Rom will all the valuable information for operating the ministry in your parish. It will include program materials, suggestions for conducting the marriage group, and additional ideas for other educational and enrichment opportunities to promote the sanctity and dignity of marriage.

5.    Receive the Covenant of Love Ministry Manual. The Covenant of Love Manual will provide detailed instructions that will allow you to successfully incorporate the Covenant of Love Ministry into your parish. The Covenant of Love Coordinator will review the manual with the leadership that have been selected to serve your parish.

6.    Selecting a Covenant of Love Ministry Coordinator(s).   In order to build a solid marriage ministry or make the current one even more effective, the first thing you need to do is to select the right couple to serve as the Covenant of Love Ministry Coordinator. If you have a paid staff person that is currently directing the marriage ministry in your parish, he or she could serve as the Covenant of Love Ministry Coordinator, but we highly suggest that you recruit a couple for this position.  We want the laity to stand up and accept the challenge to get involved.

7.    Marriage Ministry Team. The Marriage Ministry Team will be comprised of existing marriage ministers (i.e. Marriage Encounter, Retrouvaille, Marriage Preparation or NFP members) if possible, in the parish and those who will lead future ministries under the Covenant of Love Marriage Ministry. The Marriage Ministry Team will help to coordinate, promote and host additional educational and enrichment opportunities concerning marriage in the parish.

8.    Covenant of Love Community Network. As a Covenant of Love Partner, your parish will be added as a group to the Covenant of Love Community Network.. This will connect you with Covenant Love Partners across the globe.  We will use this network for communication, to distribute additional information that will assist you in starting, growing and managing your Covenant of Love Ministry.