A part of me says this is a good thing, but another part of me says that 9 months is a long time for some couples. My fiancee and I are attending pre-cana, have been talked to about NFP and given class information, have had discussions on what it means to be in a Catholic marriage, have gone to an Engaged Encounter, etc and we’re getting married less than 5 months from proposal. I’m 29 and he’s 31 and we’ve been dating for almost 2 years.
On the one hand I feel we’re mature enough to recognize the hardship (and joy!) of being married and we don’t need a set amount of time to be taught this from the church, but on the otherhand maybe if the pre-cana period isn’t a mandatory 9 months but at the priest’s discression then it would be okay. I could see how an 18 and 19 year old wanting to get married might be cause for a longer pre-cana period, or two 25 year-olds who have only been dating for four months. I just don’t see a one-size fits all approach and would hope that finding the best fit for each couple, with these new guidelines as being guidelines and not hard rules, would be the end result.
