The marriage Course is a unique and practical eight week course. The course is open to all married and cohabitating couples and covers many of the most challenging areas of marriage – money, communication, forgiveness, in-laws and sex. The Divorce rate in Australia stands at around 46%. Around the world the average is about 38.9 per 100 marriages. The course provides practical tools and advice to help any couple to improve and strengthen their relationship.
Each week of the course starts with a chance for the couple to have a romantic candlelit supper together in a relaxing atmosphere. Then, there is a short talk on a specific subject, interspersed with film clips of couples sharing their own experiences and street interviews with people from around the world. The sessions feature regular breaks for the couple to chat about the topics. They sit at their own table and talk only to each other – there is never any group work.
All couples are welcome, whether they’ve been together for one year or sixty-one years, whether they are married or living together, and whether they consider themselves to have a strong relationship or are struggling. Although the course is based on Christian principles, its practical tools are applicable to all couples whether they are churchgoers or not.
Chiara and Elio did the course in 2013. Chiara said: We have been married for forty years, and I thought we had a pretty good marriage. But it was great to take some time out each week to focus on our relationship away from all the distractions of family life. The Marriage Course helped us to grow closer, communicate better and have a deeper understanding of each other.
The cost of Course is $35.00 per couple per session and this includes all meals and Drinks. Each person will also need to have a marriage manual which we will supply on the first evening of the course and that manual cost is $12.00. Payment for all sessions can be made at St. Francis Parish Office.
About the marriage Course
The Marriage Course is a series of seven sessions plus The Marriage Course Party, designed to help any married or cohabiting couple strengthen their relationship. The course was started by Nicky and Sila Lee in 1996. The Lees are co-authors of The Marriage Book and The Parenting Book. They have been married for over thirty years and have four children.
Due to increasing demand for the course, the Lees developed an instructional DVD series that allows the course to be run anywhere in the world. It features the talks for each session and interviews with experts, as well as interviews with couples sharing their experiences of marriage.
Please do not hesitate to contact Chiara & Elio DeSimone on 0439 612 694, or by email at desimonefamily@bigpond.com if you are interested in doing the course or have any further questions.