PAST NEWS & INFORMATION
PAST NEWS & INFORMATIONWelcome to our archives......which date back to September 30, 1997.
March 19, 2001. 1st Training which included Protestant sponsor couples.
February 20, 2001. Introduction of Protestant edition.
January 2, 2001. Additions/updates in 2001 printing of For Better & For Ever.
October 27-29, 2000. Slaters of the American Association of Interchurch Families lend their help.
October 13-21, 2000. Parish in PA requests preaching of For Better & For Ever as "parish novena."
Sept 28-Oct 9, 2000. Back to Calgary! As keynote speaker for clergy study days.
May 10, 2000. Thanks from Rita Vicini, New Kensington PA
February 15, 2000. Back to Guam for Year 2000 celebration with Archbishop.
December 3, 1999. New edition: For Better and For Ever 3.2 is now available.
November 30, 1999. San Antonio TX. Meeting with clergy of SouthEast Deanery.
November 4, 1999. Meeting with Dr. Ann Grise to plan "ecumenical edition."
October 14, 1999. Calgary! Training of Sponsor Couples to use new books.
October 3, 1999. Austin. The Catholic Center of the University of Texas.
September 20-26, 1999. NEW Spanish edition, En las buenas y para siempre!
September 20, 1999. Betty Baily of El Paso is Spanish language Trainer.
September 29, 1998. For Better and For Ever 3.1 now available.
November 13, 1997. Interview of Rob Ruhnke by Becky Smith of San Antonio Express News
October 1, 1997. For Better and For Ever 3.0 is update of 1989 edition.
September 30, 1997. Nos Amaremos Toda La Vida is back in print & updated!
March 19, 2001. Greensburg PA. 1st Training which included sponsor couples from non-Catholic churches, and the use of the new Christian edition ("Protestant edition")
March 19, 2001. Greensburg PA. 10AM. I meet with a group of clergy of Greensburg PA. There were about 6 Roman Catholic priests and about 10 pastors of various non-Catholic churches. The Roman Catholic pastors were there primarily to support the concept of using "sponsor couples." The non-Catholic pastors were there to talk with me about any questions they had about how to implement the sponsor couple program in their churches. It was an excellent meeting.
That evening, I directed a Training Session for couples who had been recruited by those same pastors. There were about 25 couples and more than half of these were from non-Catholic churches. We passed out the Roman Catholic Edition to those from Catholic parishes and the Christian Edition to those from non-Catholic churches.
I can report that:
1 - The Christian Edition is a successful product. While I am sure it will be improved by feedback in the months ahead, all of the non-Catholic pastors who sent couple for training found the current text an acceptable product.
2 - The idea of inviting Catholic parishes and non-Catholic churches to send couples to be trained all together is a very good idea. Because some of the content in the two editions is slightly different, it presents a greater challenge for the trainer. But, on the other hand, the positive enthusiasm of the couples present made the challenge more than worth the effort. An attitude of "it is wonderful that we are able to overcome denominational barriers and support one another in our efforts to promote the concept of Christian marriage" filled the room!
...return to Top of page.
February 20, 2001. Introduction of Christian edition ("Protestant edition") of For Better & For Ever.
January 2, 2001. The newest printing of For Better & For Ever has a number of additions/updates. The page numbers remain the same and it is still called version 3.2 but additions/updates include:
Page 1 & 2. Notice that ~ inside the front cover ~ this edition is the "Roman Catholic Edition." And there is now an imprimatur on page 2.
Page 50. There is a new box giving information about Living Together & Christian Commitment.
Page 56. There is a new box giving information about Project Rachel.
Page 115. Chapter 15: Mixed Religion Marriage has been updated to include the concepts of interchurch and interfaith. There are references to web sites that provide more information for interchurch and interfaith couples.
Page 173 & 174. The Resources have been updated to include more web sites. There are more resources for engaged couples and sponsor couples at http://www.marriagepreparation.com in the "Free Stuff" section of the web site, such as, information for interchurch & interfaith couples and a Pre Marital Covenant that couples can download.
In addition to the additions listed above, the text has been corrected/improved in a number of places. At the same time, the pages numbers are the same as the previous edition and there is no need for retraining sponsor couples. They should, however, be made aware of these new additions.
October 27-29, 2000. Michael and Barbara Slater of the American Association of Interchurch Families came to San Antonio from California to assist me update the chapter on "mixed religion" and also assist with plans for creating the Christian edition of For Better & For Ever.
October 13-21, 2000. Our Lady of Victory Parish in State College PA (home of Penn State University) asked me to present the content of For Better & For Ever as a "parish novena." Every night I preached (about 25 minutes) and lead a extended conversation on the topic for the evening.
Sept 28-Oct 9, 2000. Back to Calgary! I was asked to be a keynote speaker for the annual study days for the priests of the diocese, which this year focused on marriage preparation. I also led a sponsor couple training session for the diocese.
May 10, 2000. "Dear Father Rob, I wanted to thank you for coming to our parish and sharing your expertise with members of our Sponsor Couple team. The information you shared will help a great deal in the usage of your Resource. My own initial reaction to your book was deep interest and eagerness; I am glad that those who heard you feel the same. You should know that at least 4 of the last 10 engaged couples have made a point to mention how much they appreciated using your new book. I will share the video tapes we made with our diocesan coordinator for marriage preparation. I am sure she will find them interesting. God bless you in your ministry." Rita Vicini, Director for Faith Formation, New Kensington PA
February 15, 2000. Rob Ruhnke leaves for Guam to train more sponsor couples there and take part in a Year 2000 celebration of Christian Marriage. Archbishop Anthony Apuron will be the celebrant for a Mass honoring all the sponsor couples of Guam. On the way back Rob will meet with leadership people (re: marriage preparation) in Hawaii; and train another group of sponsor couples in San Bernardino CA.
December 3, 1999 NEWS FLASH: The newest edition: For Better and For Ever 3.2 is now available.
For Better and For Ever 3.2 is NOT substantially different from the previous edition (3.1). The difference is that this edition has 10 more pages so that it "matches" the Spanish edition, En las buenas y para siempre 3.2, which required more pages. In addition, the longest sentences were broken down to shorter phrases to make the translation of the text into Spanish easier.
For Better and For Ever 3.2 is thus a "companion" text to En las buenas y para siempre 3.2. Every chapter begins on the same page in both books. The goal was to design a bi-lingual program so that, if one person reads Spanish better and another person reads English better, they can use the two different language editions.
November 30, 1999. San Antonio TX. Meeting with clergy of SouthEast Deanery to discuss marriage preparation and make recommendations to the pastors.
November 4, 1999. Returned to the Diocese of Evansville IN for training sessions in Evansville and Jasper IN, also meetings with clergy, and a marriage enrichment evening at Precious Blood Parish in Jasper IN. Also met with Dr. Ann Grise to discuss plans for "ecumenical edition" of For Better and For Ever.
October 14, 1999. Back to Calgary! I first traveled to Calgary, Canada, in May 1999 to be the keynote speaker at their yearly diocesan conference for those involved in marriage preparation ministry. Now I am being invited back to lead training sessions for sponsor couples so the parishes of the Diocese of Calgary can begin using my new book.
October 3, 1999. To Austin. The Catholic Center of the University of Texas sponsored a sponsor couple training session to which they invited folks involved in marriage preparation at Texas A&M. Sort of an "ecumenical day." This was so successful that the pastors in Bryan TX are planning to host a training session there in December.
September 20-26, 1999. I attended the yearly conference of the National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers. It was in Louisville KY this year. I rented booth space at the conference to promote my marriage preparation products, and introduce the new Spanish edition....
September 20, 1999.The SPANISH edition of For Better and For Ever, En las buenas y para siempre, is now available. Betty Baily of El Paso is willing to be available as a Spanish language Trainer for this new product.
September 29, 1998 FOR BETTER AND FOR EVER 3.1 NOW AVAILABLE.
Since the publication of FOR BETTER AND FOR EVER 3.0 a year ago, the process of gathering suggestions for improvements has continued. Enthusiastic Sponsor Couples have offered a number of suggestions that have been incorporated into this new edition.
There is a new Appendix: Rituals for Resolving Problems & Healing Hurts.Chapter 10: Marital Communication has been substantially re-written.
Chapter 12: Christian Marriage now includes a clear condemnation of physical/emotional abuse.
Many sections have been edited to be ~ hopefully ~ more clear.
October 1, 1997 -- For Better and For Ever 3.0 is the newest edition of the most widely used "Sponsor Couple" program in the U.S. and Canada. The new edition has the following features:
- NEW CONTENT. 21 chapters include: Money Matters & Career Planning, Planning the Wedding, Mixed Religion Marriage, Parenting, Couples who are living together, Blended Families, Rituals of Engagement, Prayer, Marital Spirituality, and more.
- MORE SUBSTANTIAL CONTENT. The chapters are fairly brief ~ usually 2 to 4 pages ~ and yet address important issues in a style that is easy to read and understand.
- PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. The format encourages couples to take the initiative in learning about Christian marriage and in developing their skills for living the life-long commitment of Christian marriage. Couples who take such initiative are already demonstrating key elements of successful marriage.
- DESIGNED FOR MANY DIFFERENT SITUATIONS. For Better and For Ever 3.0 is designed for:
- Engaged couples, both single & not parents
- Couples who are civilly married
- Couples who are living together
- Previously married couples
- Dating couples trying to decide whether to become engaged
- Singles seeking to learn more about Christian marriage
- A RESOURCE FOR THE EARLY MONTHS FOR MARRIAGE. After the honeymoon is over and couples experience some of the harder realities of marriage, For Better and For Ever 3.0 offers additional questions for 3 months and 6 months into the marriage.
September 30, 1997 Nos Amaremos Toda La Vida is now available for your Sponsor Couples once again! And it is better than ever!
When Liguori Publications ceased publication of Nos Amaremos Toda La Vida, I regained the Spanish language rights. After months of planning and with the help of many friends, I am now the author and publisher of the new - updated - edition of Nos Amaremos Toda La Vida.
I made every effort to keep the costs as low as possible. There is no fancy cover and binding. But the benefit of these changes is that I can offer you the Dialogue Packets a $6.00 per packet (plus the cost of postage). A Manual is also available for $4.00 each.
Copyright © 1996 Marriage Preparation Resources
Last modified: June 01, 2008
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