Local group's on-demand Catholic marriage prep grows into worldwide resource

Founded in 2009, The Marriage Group in Port Huron offers 'truly Catholic' online marriage prep and pre-Cana courses

PORT HURON — Fifteen years ago, a pair of aspiring Catholic entrepreneurs faced a simple, yet unanswered question at the time: Why can't Catholic marriage prep be done online?

Co-founders Matt Brooks and Leo Colantuono approached the answer like problem-solving entrepreneurs, and in 2009, they launched The Marriage Group, which provides accessible, online pre-Cana and natural family planning video courses that provide comprehensive marriage enrichment for couples who, for a variety of reasons, might not have access to the same materials in person.

Located in downtown Port Huron in a former church building on a block full of Brooks’ other entrepreneurial ventures — Brooks owns a property management firm and has invested in real estate throughout the small town — the effort began as a way to serve a need Brooks and others saw in the Church.

Today, The Marriage Group has served couples in every diocese in the United States and 70 some countries, Jessie Wiegand, director of marketing and creative told Detroit Catholic. More than 65,000 couples have used the course over the years, with countless parishes participating.

As a member of the Catholic Family Life Association, The Marriage Group's courses are promoted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, as well as bishops conferences in England and Wales.

“Our course is flexible. Couples can use it with a mentor couple, or you can use it with a deacon walking couples through a weekly, biweekly, or monthly in-person meeting,” Wiegand explained. “It is a great option for people who cannot do anything else. We have couples who are not even in the same city as they are prepping for marriage. So if this is going to be the only option, how can we make that the best experience for them?”

While many couples preparing for marriage live far apart or don’t have pre-Cana available nearby, it’s also a good option for those for whom in-person learning is not ideal. Wiegand, who is hearing impaired, used herself as an example.

“I cannot go into an auditorium or a gym or a parish center and sit in a roundtable and listen to somebody talk without a microphone, because I will struggle in in-person environments like that,” Wiegand said.

It can be intimidating to open up about the difficult and personal topics discussed in marriage prep, said Alonna Hunt, the group's parish outreach coordinator. Hunt said she and her husband used the course in preparation for their convalidation.

“It’s hard to talk about sex and money with six other strangers at your table sometimes,” Hunt said. “We find a lot of couples go through formation, get married, and don't talk about these things. With (The Marriage Group's course), they actually have that deeper experience."

When Brooks first began The Marriage Group, he worked in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Detroit and later the Archdiocese of Chicago to create a course consistent with Catholic theology and pre-marriage preparation. Over the years, the ministry has updated its course offerings. New content is filmed in the studio office space in downtown Port Huron.

Wiegand said the content is “truly Catholic,” and couples can expect high-quality teachings that follow the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The group offers pre-Cana courses in English and Spanish.

“We also have an NFP course that goes into the theology and science behind NFP, and we’ve seen it’s a really good catechization tool,” Hunt said.

Couples can choose just one of these courses or can purchase a discounted package of both the pre-Cana and NFP courses; however, the Spanish course includes NFP. Parishes can also purchase vouchers at a discount to pass out to couples in marriage prep.

Additionally, the group offers “Prepare and Enrich,” a complementary course that gives couples the opportunity to complete a "couple's inventory" that they can review with their priest or deacon.

Hunt said the pre-Cana course, which includes videos with presenter couples addressing each topic in addition to prompts and quizzes, takes an average of three and a half weeks to complete. However, couples retain access for a full year.

“We call our presenters ‘very qualified experts,’” Hunt said. “These are people with unique experiences to speak on a specific topic. They don’t speak on everything because they’re not experts on everything.”

The group shies away from highlighting “celebrity” Catholic couples in its content, Hunt added, and the group is always on the lookout for holy, inspiring couples to participate in courses.

“We are all normal people figuring this out,” said Wiegand, who has appeared in some of the videos alongside her husband. “‘Real’ couples are more relatable; we aren’t experts, we are just people who have been married for 20-30 years, who are just trying to follow Jesus and love each other well.”

Online marriage prep does not have to be an isolating experience, Wiegand added, and, in fact, The Marriage Group is rooted in a mission of fostering community.

Later this year, Wiegand said The Marriage Group plans to launch a marriage formation experience that goes beyond the wedding day. Wiegand hopes the video courses inspire couples to engage in open, honest communication with each other.

“My hope is that the level of vulnerability about both the great things and the hard things about marriage would inspire them to open dialogue with their partner, their husband, their wife, or their fiancé,” Wiegand said. “I hope it will draw them closer together and draw them closer to God because they’re recognizing that those couples who are sharing their story didn't do it alone. They did it with the help of God, and with community.”