The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life responds to Pope Francis' request for the Church to offer a better and more thorough preparation of young couples for marriage.

By providing pastoral guidelines for clergy, couples, and those involved in marriage preparation or family ministry, this document is intended to offer support to the local Churches "in thinking about or rethinking their pathways to marriage preparation and pastoral accompaniment during the first years of married life."

"We urge particular Churches to be courageous and embrace a faith-filled perspective, recalling Jesus’ teaching that the works of the Kingdom always begin as a small mustard seed, but that in time they can become large trees offering shelter and protection to those in need.

"By offering younger generations a catechumenal journey of growth toward marriage, the Church shall meet head-on the urgent need to accompany young people toward the fulfilment of what remains one of their greatest “dreams” and among the main goals they set out to achieve in life: to establish with the person they love a firm relationship upon which to build a family."