In Home Catholic Marriage Prep is a Christ-centered ministry helping parishes form engaged couples for lifelong sacramental unity. We empower formed and faithful married couples to serve as mentors, inviting engaged couples into their homes to learn the art of living marriage as a vocation in Christ. This is not simply preparation for a wedding day. It is the beginning of building the domestic church through intentional mentorship, radical hospitality, and lifelong friendship in Christ.

To foster the art of sacramental unity by pairing engaged couples with formed mentor couples for a journey of intentional preparation, authentic hospitality, and lifelong friendship, so that every Catholic marriage may begin as a vibrant domestic church built on the solid foundation of Christ-centered community and a deep understanding of the sacramental life.

  • We don't just teach a curriculum; we model a vocation. By pairing engaged couples with formed married mentors, we provide a living example of how to navigate the "art of living" as a couple. This investment ensures that sacramental prep is an encounter, not just a series of meetings.

  • Following the example of Christ, we move preparation out of the classroom and into the home. In-home hospitality creates a sacred, relaxed space where vulnerable questions can be asked and authentic faith can be witnessed in the context of daily family life.

  • The wedding day is just the beginning. Our goal is to build a lasting community. We believe that by rooting preparation in friendship, we provide young couples with a support system that sustains them long after they say "I do.”

  • If life is an 'incomplete project,' then marriage is a shared canvas. Through our in-home preparation, we help couples pick up the brush together, guided by mentors who show them how to paint a life of sacramental unity, joy, and enduring love.

Art of Living Ministry, through our In Home Catholic Marriage Prep, recognizes the many challenges facing modern parishes: the struggle to engage young couples, the "drop-off" after the wedding day, and the need for authentic community. We don't just offer another program; we offer a partnership designed to help your community thrive through the art of accompaniment.

Reclaiming the Domestic Church.

We help you move marriage preparation from the classroom to the home. By utilizing an intimate, hospitality-based model, we ensure that engaged couples are not just "informed," but truly formed in the sacramental life.

  • Mentor Couple Training: We provide thorough training for experienced married couples, grounding them in Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the Church’s vision for sacramental marriage. This ensures they are equipped to accompany engaged couples with clarity, confidence, and theological fidelity.

  • Hospitality Framework: The home becomes a place of encounter where truth is shared in relationship. Each session is structured to reflect the welcome of Christ—creating space for honest conversation, prayer, and trust to grow over time.

  • Trusted Content: The content is fully faithful to the Church while being communicated in a relational, accessible style. Theology and practical wisdom are integrated into guided dialogue, helping couples engage not just with information, but with lived understanding.

Bridging the Gap Between Pews.

Isolation is one of the greatest challenges facing modern families. In response, we help parishes cultivate a culture of mentorship where experienced couples walk with newly married couples and young families beyond the wedding day.

In this way, mentor couples become one of the most powerful invitations into the life of the Church. Through the witness of their marriage, their hospitality, and their friendship, they help draw engaged and newly married couples more deeply into the heart of the Church and the life of the domestic church.

This creates:

  • Long-term accompaniment in the early years of marriage

  • Friendship rooted in shared faith and lived experience of sacramental marriage

  • Organic Catholic community built through real relationships and sustained witness

Paul & Gretchen George

Paul and Gretchen George are dedicated to the belief that marriage is a profound art form, one that requires mentorship, grace, and authentic community. Married for 29 years, they have spent over two decades serving as a voice for the beauty of sacramental life.

As second-generation directors of In Home Marriage Preparation, Paul and Gretchen are honored to carry forward the lifelong commitment and legacy established by the program’s founders, Jan and Lloyd Tate. They remain deeply committed to the Tates' original vision: that the best place to learn the art of marriage is within the warmth and witness of a holy home.

With 22 years of experience in marriage ministry, Paul and Gretchen have touched countless lives through speaking, personal mentoring, and their signature engaged-couple mentorship. Their approach is rooted in honesty; they embrace being an "imperfect couple" in pursuit of Christ, finding great joy and healing in their own marriage and family life.

Paul is the president of Art of Living Ministry, a consultant, author, and speaker, while Gretchen serves alongside Paul as director of In Home Marriage and serves the community as a realtor. Together, they live in Lafayette, LA, where they are the proud parents of five children—Marie (and husband Matt), Jacob, Sarah, Clare, and Addie—and the joyful grandparents of their grandson, Jude.

Lloyd & Jan Tate

Lloyd and Jan Tate are the visionary founders of In-Home Marriage Preparation. Since 1976, they have been at the forefront of Catholic marriage ministry, developing the mentor-couple model that has transformed sacramental prep into a journey of authentic hospitality. Trained spiritual directors and recipients of the St. John Paul II Award, the Tates have dedicated their lives to helping couples discover the beauty of God’s plan for marriage and family.

CLICK HERE TO