The Joy of Love and Marriage
The Marriage Enrichment Ministry strengthens marriages in the Church and provides support to all couples called to the holy vocation of marriage.
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To register for the Marriage Enrichment Ministry, please sign up for flocknote below!
Welcome!
The Marriage Enrichment Ministry (MEM) will support all couples called to the holy vocation of marriage. We support those married in the Catholic Church, or would like to be, and also interfaith couples. All couples are welcome to join the ministry. We want to foster a community of mutual support and offer date nights, programs, and events that affirm spousal love, provide continual learning, and encourage spiritual growth.
MEM 2025 CalendarDate Nights
Every couple is called to grow and witness in love for God and one another. We offer Date Nights every few months with refreshments, inspirational talks, and guest speakers, different themes and topics, interactive discussions, fellowship, and prayer to enrich marriages. If engaged or married, you will not want to miss a Date Night at the parish.
Programs & Retreats
In the fall and spring, we offer marriage programs (4 to 6 weeks) such as: Better Together, Witness to Love, ‘United in Love, United in Christ’, 10 Great Date Nights, Joined by Grace, Beloved-The Beatitudes, Finding Happiness in Marriage, Joyful Ever After and other wonderful programs! Programs take place on Friday evenings at 7:00 pm with a potluck dinner and fellowship! This is a great way to meet other couples at the parish.
In the fall and spring, we also have a mini-marriage retreat that takes place on a Saturday starting with 9:00 am Mass, followed by refreshments and then a 1.5 to 2 hour presentation by a guest speaker.
Marriage Events
Home Fellowship
Discover the joy of fellowship through group gatherings at home. We enjoy small group gatherings in backyards or on decks during the summer and a festive gathering during Advent. These connections foster friendships among couples, encourage spiritual growth, provide an intimate space for prayer, and facilitate forming accountability partnerships and support systems.
Parish and Community Outreach—Volunteer Opportunities
Our Marriage Enrichment Ministry also engages in community service and outreach projects, including creating meal kits for Christ House (Catholic Charities) and No Hands But Yours Ministry, and volunteering at the parish together for Donut Sunday. Help is also needed for planning our events, setting up and cleaning up at our Date Nights, and leading programs.
Fun Outings and Events
Throughout the year, especially during the summer, we host group meetings for prayer, fellowship, and connection with other couples. Events include our annual Heroes Hike and Bunnyman Brewing outing in September, family gatherings at Peterson’s Ice Cream with lawn games in Clifton, Peachwave Ice Cream for “no weigh” Thursday, and Friday Pizza and Pub Games night in January. We sometimes meet at a local coffee shop to reflect on a topic with one of our priests for a MEM Catholic Coffee Connection.
Communication
The MEM sends out a monthly newsletter called the Flocknote on the first of each month (subscribe here). This includes information about upcoming Date Nights, events, programs, volunteer opportunities, and congratulations for anniversaries and weddings, as well as helpful resources. Our Facebook page features more content and regularly shares pictures. You can find updates and posts almost daily on our Facebook page.
Additional Resources
• We also support Natural Family Planning (NFP).
• Our MEM Library also offers a collection of marriage enrichment books for couples to borrow.
Teams of Our Lady
These couples are part of a group called Teams of Our Lady. They have made a commitment to meet monthly to pray together, share with one another, and grow in their marriages.
“Teams provides a proven method of increasing and improving prayer life, which will help couples grow closer to God and each other. At the same time, their family will reap the benefits as well.”
For more information contact Lou and Sandra Volchansky, svolchan@verizon.net
Wedding Coordinator Ministry
The Wedding Coordinator Ministry was established to assist the priest, deacon, bride, and groom during the wedding planning process, the rehearsal, and the marriage ceremony. Tina Ward, the Wedding Coordinator, is here to help you with the logistical aspects of your wedding and to answer questions about flowers, photographers, and other planning details specific to your wedding at the parish. Tina can also conduct a walk-through with you and provide planning resources. On the day of the rehearsal and the wedding, Tina will be present, and may even have an assistant or two.
To reach Tina Ward, please contact her at wedding@nativityburke.org.
All music coordination for your wedding is handled by Carole Fischl, the Director of Music Ministry, who will also serve as the pianist/organist. You may also choose to have a cantor and harpist; please note that if you select a harpist, a sound technician must also be present.
Engaged Sponsor Couple Ministry
The Engaged Sponsor Couple Ministry is a peer-to-peer ministry whereby married couples share their own experience with engaged couples in our parish. Each engaged couple is connected with a sponsor mentor couple, and they tend to meet 1-2 times, more if wanted.
Mentoring involves active listening, deep sharing, empathy, compassion, and accompaniment. The sponsorship is a beautiful friendship with another couple at the parish. The foundation is set with trust, caring, and gentleness, meeting couples where they are in a nonjudgmental manner. Couples usually meet at the sponsor’s home, at a restaurant, or at the parish. Our sponsor couples are: John & Cheryl, Rich & Karen, Jake & Marsha, Joseph & Lona, Deacon Kelly & Joyce, John & Anna Lisa.
Once a year, we also like to bring the currently engaged and newlyweds (married in the last three years) together for a fellowship gathering together.
Contact marriage@nativityburke.org for more information.
Meet our Marriage Enrichment Ministry Coordinator
Anna Lisa Licud is a wife of over 16 years and a mother to a teenager attending Nativity Catholic School. She has been a catechist for the Religious Education program since 2019 and is involved with the Walking with Purpose bible study, the Seven Sisters Apostolate, and the Traditional choir. Prior to joining the Nativity parish, Anna Lisa was a lector and catechist for several years at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. Anna Lisa is also a board certified advanced practice provider working in several specialized intensive care units at a large urban hospital since 2006. She received both her Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in Nursing from Georgetown University.
Over the years, Anna Lisa witnessed the life-giving impact of marriages in forming strong, loving families from both sets of grandparents who were married more than 50 years, from her parents who are married almost 48 years, and from her in-laws who were married 40 years. She and her husband, John, hope to one day be able to celebrate similar milestones, while knowing that sustaining a healthy relationship takes a lot of work and support. The Marriage Enrichment Ministry at Nativity has helped strengthen their marriage and they hope to help others do the same.
Contact Anna Lisa at marriage@nativityburke.org
Meet our Marriage Enrichment Ministry Outreach Coordinator
Jennifer Sturgeon is a mother of two boys attending Creighton University and an active-duty Army wife. While living in the Netherlands, she works virtually as the Marriage Enrichment Ministry (MEM) Outreach Coordinator. Her Master’s degree is in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma, focusing on family and children. Her postgraduate certificate in Human Services focuses on social community service and outreach from the School of Counseling and Human Services. She earned her Master Catechist Certification from Christendom College Graduate School; her Certificate in Theology is from Notre Dame’s McGrath Family Life Institute. From Belmont Abbey College, she earned a parish Leadership Certification. She loves to build community and have others come together in faith-filled fellowship. Contact Jennifer for the monthly MEM Flocknotes (newsletter), Facebook page, and marriage enrichment resources.
Contact Jennifer at jsturgeon@nativityburke.org