A gift to couples and support to the ACCs
of the Diocese of Saint Cloud from Bishop Neary.

An 18-month access to the course materials of

Banquet of

Love

The Eucharist as Weekly Marriage Enrichment Online Classes

How to access this resource!

Once you click the button below, enter the code BOLFREE. This resource is available to you and couples in your parishes from October 15, 2023 through April 15, 2025.

The U.S. bishops have inaugurated a 3-year

National Eucharistic Revival

There are numerous connections to be made between the sacrament of marriage, the domestic church and the Eucharist.

As a gift to couples and a support for parishes and ACCs, Bishop Neary purchased the license for anyone in the diocese to use this series at NO COST. The license includes 18-month access to the entire course material, online video modules and printable PDFs for each session. It can be offered to couples to use on their own or as part of small faith sharing groups. Topics include how the Jewish understanding of sacrifice and time are critical to understanding the Eucharist, the positive and negative sides of predictability and possibility in marriage, building blocks to help forgive and heal, anger management and conflict resolution, the sacred order toward marital intimacy modeled for us in the Eucharist and why the Real Presence is so critical in marriage.

What is this resource for married couples?

Banquet of Love is an online 12-part course that helps you make practical connections between the Eucharist and your marriage. Each session is approximately 20 minutes long and is accompanied by downloadable reflection questions. Couples or groups of couples can register online to get access to these online classes. All married couples can benefit: from newlyweds to those married 50 years or more!

In only 7 hours, you have helped us a thousand times more than the four marriage counseling meetings we went to! Your presence here today is a gift from God. I deeply thank you for giving us tools to strengthen and improve our marriage. I have prayed for help and I know that you are part
of His answer.

—Participant, married 5 years

About the facilitators

Jim and Maureen Otremba

What the course includes

and how to transform your marriage

Jim and Maureen Otremba

Jim and Maureen have been married since 1995 and are members of Sacred Heart Parish in Sauk Rapids, MN.

Jim is a licensed therapist and owner of the Center for Family Counseling in St. Cloud, MN, where he has over 25 years of experience working with married couples and individuals.

Maureen has an extensive background in teaching, writing, faith formation, and pastoral ministry. Both hold advanced degrees in theology.

They are primary authors of Fully Engaged: Growing Toward Lasting Fidelity, a Catholic premarital inventory and marriage preparation program, which is used in over 100 dioceses and over 800 individual parishes.

Jim and Maureen have been frequent speakers for events, workshops, and retreats and use high energy, humor, and their combined expertise in counseling and education to move their audiences toward healing and joy.

They are parents of seven heavenly children and three young adult children on earth and know the joys and challenges of special-needs parenting.

Course Includes:

Twelve-month access to the entire course material

Twelve online video modules
Introductory Class
  • Practical Eucharistic Theology
  • The Gathering Rite
  • The Penitential Act, Part One
  • The Penitential Act, Part Two
  • The Liturgy of the Word, Part One
  • The Liturgy of the Word, Part Two
  • Preparation of the Gifts, Eucharistic Prayer, and the Lord’s Prayer
  • The Sign of Peace, Liturgical Flow, and the Foundational Intimacies
  • Improving Foundational Intimacies
  • The Communion Rite
  • The Concluding Rite

Printable PDFs for each session

Full transcript of each session

A Sample Of What You’ll Learn:

  • How the Jewish understanding of sacrifice and time are critical to understanding the Eucharist.

  • The positive and negative sides of predictability and possibility in your marriage.

  • Twelve building blocks to help you forgive and heal.

  • Five steps for anger management.

  • Seven keys to conflict resolution.

  • How to move from conflict resolution to conflict redemption.

  • Jesus’ five-fold invitation to know Him through the Scriptures and how

  • Three-part “Positive Cycle of Communication.”

  • The sacred order toward marital intimacy, modeled for us in the Eucharist.

  • Why Real Presence is so critical in marriage, and how our dependence on electronic devices weakens it.

  • Specific ways to enhance healthy and holy sexual intimacy in marriage.

  • How your marriage has a mission, and how to discern what that mission is.