On Saturday, 3 October, students of Maryvale Institute's Sacrament of Marriage course gathered at St Mary's College Oscott, the Catholic seminary in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, for their residential weekend, some in the room and others joining remotely. The course is taught online, but the day was a reminder of how much the in-person part of learning matters. Over a lecture, a Mass, a shared lunch and an afternoon of discussion, students who had known one another only as faces on a screen began to form real bonds, and by the end of the day a genuine sense of community had emerged.

About the Course

The Sacrament of Marriage course rests on a single conviction: that Christian marriage is, before anything else, a work of grace. Across six modules, students trace the four graces of the sacrament (indissolubility, fidelity, fecundity and self-gift) from Scripture, through the Fathers and the teaching of the Catholic Church, into the reality of daily married life, with theology and pastoral practice taught together. The course is designed for pastoral ministers, priests, marriage counsellors, parish advisors and any lay person, married or preparing to marry, who wants to understand the sacrament from the inside.

A Lecture and a Conversation

After coffee and introductions, the day opened with a lecture by Stefan Kaminski STL, "The Nuptial Meaning of the Body". It was dense and beautifully delivered, and many of the students were visibly moved. A panel discussion followed with Stefan Kaminski, Eleonora Kaminski and Fr Taras Khomych. Questions from the floor led to a lively exchange and a few memorable conclusions, theology and lived experience speaking to one another in the same room.

At the Altar, in the Cloister and at the Table

At midday the students made their way to the College chapel, where St John Henry Newman preached his "Second Spring" sermon in 1852. There the Oscott community offered Mass for them, a gesture of welcome that touched many of them deeply. After Mass, we were privileged to take part in the crowning of the statue of Our Lady with the Child Jesus in the cloister.

Lunch in the refectory was shared with Oscott's seminarians and staff. The FE students mixed easily with the seminarians, and the conversations that followed were among the richest of the day: lay people formed for the vocation of marriage, sitting at the same table as men being formed for the priesthood. Praying together and then eating together made visible something the course can only describe from a distance: that the Church's vocations are meant to support one another.

Learning Together

The afternoon workshop was, for many, the heart of the day. Students were active and happily involved, discussing and sharing their own observations. Our guests, Stefan and Eleonora, stayed with the students until the library visit, which gave them even more opportunities to ask questions in a more informal setting. The day closed with coffee and a guided tour of the Oscott library, which also took in other parts of the historic college building.

Why It Matters

The Sacrament of Marriage course is taught online, and that is what makes it possible for students across the country to take part. But a day like this shows what distance learning cannot fully provide: the experience of praying, eating and learning side by side. The atmosphere throughout was warm and joyful, and students left with Maryvale notebooks in hand and a real curiosity about what the rest of the course will bring. Just as importantly, they discovered others who share their interest in the theology of marriage: people to learn alongside in the months ahead, so that no one need feel they are studying alone.

The course continues until March 2027, with a live session for each of its six modules. To find out more about the Sacrament of Marriage course and Maryvale's other Catholic Further Education courses, visit our programmes page.