'OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD HELPED
DEEPEN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER.'
an interview with
Paul & Annette
What preparations did you undertake before you started living your vocational calling?
As a young couple in love, having decided to get married and spend the rest of our lives together, we realised we needed help to prepare for this important step. We never found a marriage preparation course that we could attend together!
Our experience of marriage until then was that of our parents and grandparents- their faithfulness and love, and commitment to each other.
What or who has helped you on in living your vocation?
Once married, having moved a long way from family because of our jobs, we were inspired by married couples in the parish living out their vocation. We joined Teams of Our Lady, an organisation for married couples, at an early stage (3 months married) and this has been our support ever since.
'“For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health” we have experienced a lot, but we consider we have been very lucky.'
How is the lived reality of your vocation different to how you had perceived it?
Our life together over 38 years has been eventful. We have experienced much joy in the birth of our children, their marriages and births of our grandchildren, the experience of belonging to our wider family network and to our parish community. We have gone through difficult times – the death of close family members, unemployment, the sudden illness of our daughter- to name a few. As it says in the marriage vow “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health” we have experienced a lot, but we consider we have been very lucky.
'For many years we have shared our belief in the importance of marriage as an institution by delivering marriage preparation to engaged couples.'
What would you say to someone else considering following Jesus in the vocation of marriage?
For many years we have shared our belief in the importance of marriage as an institution by delivering marriage preparation to engaged couples. Through this we have shared our own experiences and hopefully have explored what we would like to have known as an engaged couple.
For us, our relationship with God is important to us and we pray together regularly which has helped deepen and develop our relationship with each other as well as with God - our third strand. We believe that marriage and family life are the bedrock of society and a worthwhile vocation.
