St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church
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  • The Centennial Project
  • Parish
    • About Us
    • Accommodations for Special Needs
    • Clergy & Staff
    • Facilities & Scheduling
    • Severe Weather Info
    • Parish Ministries
    • Growing Into Christ >
      • Liturgy & Worship
      • Pastoral Care & Outreach
      • Community Life
      • Evangelization & Faith Formation
      • Stewardship & Development
    • Register with Parish
    • New Parishioner Info
    • Eternal Life
    • Links
  • Communications
    • Email Updates
    • Church Bulletins
    • COVID-19 Response >
      • Reopening the Parish
      • COVID-19 Bulletin
      • Prayer for End of Coronavirus
    • Mobile App
  • Live Stream
  • Education
    • Liturgy of the Hours with Kevin Key
    • School
    • Religious Education Program (REP) >
      • REP Program Info
      • REP Calendar
      • REP Registration
      • Religious Ed Forms
      • REP Payments
    • RCIA
    • Youth Ministries
    • Faith Enrichment
    • FORMED
    • Vacation Bible School
  • Sacraments
    • Sacraments
    • Baptism
    • Reconciliation & Penance
    • First Holy Communion
    • Confirmation
    • Holy Matrimony
    • Anointing of the Sick
    • Vocations >
      • Holy Orders & Vocations
      • Vocations Corner
      • Vocations Cross
  • Stewardship
    • Stewardship
    • About Online Giving
    • Make a Donation
    • In Memoriam
    • Weekly Offertory
    • Gift Planning
    • Funds & Campaigns
  • Calendars
    • Calendars
    • Mass Schedule
    • Money Counters
    • Parish Calendar
    • Ministry Calendar
    • Weekly Groups & Recurring Events
  • Contact Us
    • Public Safety Notice
    • Contact Us
    • Request: Room Scheduling
    • Request: Bulletin & Publicity
    • Request: Altar Flowers >
      • Altar Flowers Request Form
    • Request: Mass Intentions
    • Request: Printing/Copies
    • Change in Ministry Leadership
    • Parish Staff - Log On
    • Request: 2021 Mass Intentions
  • The Centennial Project

First of all, allow us to congratulate you on your engagement! 

This is a very exciting time, and we share the joy and the hope that you feel as an engaged couple.  We wish to support you as much as we can as you prepare to join your lives together in Christ’s Church.

As part of your engagement, the Church requires marriage preparation so that: couples have a better understanding of marriage as both a sacrament and a vocation; to help you discern and deepen your commitment to each other in marriage; and to learn more about each other and yourselves before you get married.  Marriage preparation is a great blessing, and numerous university studies have shown that couples who engage in marriage preparation have a significantly lower risk of divorce than couples who do not (e.g. Stanley, “Premarital Education,” 2006). With that in mind, the Diocese of Harrisburg provides "Marriage Preparation Guidelines" that can be found below.


Marriage preparation begins and ends in your parish, so please make an appointment to begin your preparation and to determine which course of preparation you will take.

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Marriage Preparation Guidelines
  1. Canonical process – Begin with an initial interview with a parish priest or deacon, where the required canonical forms are completed.
  2. Formational Process
  3. Completion and discussion of a pre-marital inventory at your parish (e.g. FOCCUS, PREPARE).
  4. Participation in one or more of the following:
    1. A parish-based mentoring program, combined with a God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage conference; or
    2. A Catholic Engaged Encounter weekend.
  5. Assessment process – A second meeting with your priest or deacon.
  6. Instructional process (as needed).
  7. Liturgical planning for the wedding.

Mentor Couples

Many parishes support a network of married couples who help guide and prepare engaged couples through their discernment period. Our office supports these parish-based programs by training new mentor couples, offering periodic in-service trainings, and overseeing the use of the FOCCUS inventory and other tools. To find out more about mentor couples in our parish, please contact our coordinator for engaged couples, Mary Butch.

 If you are interested in becoming a Mentor Couple, you can find more information here


God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled

As a complement to the mentor couples program, God’s Plan for a Joy-Filled Marriage is a single-day program that explores the Church’s teachings on: marriage as a sacrament and a vocation; the human person and God’s design for marriage; and human sexuality.  To learn more about the God’s Plan program, please visit their website here.

The diocese offers many God’s Plan conferences throughout the year and in a variety of diocesan locations, although you should only sign up for a conference after your initial meeting at the parish.  For more information on dates and locations, please contact our parish coordinator for engaged couples, Mary Butch.


Printer Friendly Information For Newly Engaged Couples

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Parish Wedding Information
Wedding Policies
St. Joan of Arc Parish Office
305 West Areba Ave.
Hershey, PA 17033

Phone: 717.533.7168    
​
Fax: 717.520.0526 
Email: office@stjoanhershey.org
St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church
359 West Areba Ave.
Hershey, PA 17033


View Mass Times
St. Joan of Arc School
1525 Sand Hill Rd
Hummelstown, PA 17036 

Phone: 717.533.2854
Website: school.stjoanhershey.org
© St. Joan of Arc 2018. All Rights Reserved. St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church is a 501(c)3 organization.