The Picture of Love Marriage Preparation Program for Engaged Couples explores the joys and challenges of living out the Sacrament of Matrimony with special focus on the importance of inviting Jesus to be the center of marriage and family life. Originally released in 2002, Picture of Love is an officially sanctioned and proven Marriage Preparation Program, currently used in Catholic parishes and dioceses across the nation. The newly revised 2017 version of Picture of Love has received the imprimatur of Archbishop Jose H. Gomez, Archdiocese of Los Angeles. The Picture of Love Program includes: * A Leader's Manual with complete instructions and resources for facilitating the session(s) and special reflection questions to help the presenting team share their story. * Participant Workbooks that assist engaged couples in learning new concepts and sharing their thoughts and feelings with their fiancee/fiance. * Interactive activities for engaged couples such as personal reflection, journaling, couple sharing time, role-playing and group exercises. * Practical resources and tools to help the engaged couples to continue to grow in their relationship. The Picture of Love Topics include: Sacrament of Matrimony Family of Origin Couple Communication and Conflict Resolution Finances, Budgeting, and Money Management Married Intimacy Dreams, Goals, and Decision Making Marriage and Family Spirituality Natural Family Planning Ecumenical and Interfaith Marriages Cohabitation Based on Amoris Laetitia, over twenty years of evaluations by engaged couples, and the changing influences on marriage and family life in today's world, the following topics are addressed in the 2017-revised edition: * The impact of today's technology on couple and family relationships and the importance of recognizing the benefits while honestly addressing the challenges. * The growing use of Pornography and its' impact on married intimacy. * Theology of the Body as the intimate communion of life and love * The importance of making Jesus the center of marriage and family life through daily scripture, prayer and service.

Practical workbook for committed couples as they prepare for marriage or cohabitation. Written especially for you and your spouse, this resource will guide you through the important preparation process for the sacrament of Matrimony in the Catholic Church. It contains all of the information you will need as you consider the following important issues facing couples today: The sacrament of Matrimony The influence of one’s family of origin Couple communication and conflict resolution Finances, budgeting, and money management Married intimacy Dreams, goals, and decision-making Couple spirituality Parenting in today’s world Ecumenical and interfaith marriages Natural family planning Relating to and as in-laws Questions and activities invite personal reflection and journaling, sharing with your spouse, and small-group and large-group activities.

During the years between 1980 and 1999, in the midst of war and economic crisis, a record number of women were elected to national legislatures in Central American republics. Can quantitative increases in the presence of elected women in Central America produce qualitative political changes?

In this detailed study, Michelle A. Saint-Germain and Cynthia Chavez Metoyer explore the reasons for this unprecedented political rise of women, and what effect it has had on the region. Focusing on Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, the authors analyze national and regional indicators to evaluate various hypotheses concerning the reasons for women's electoral success in the region, as well as to make comparisons with findings from other world regions. They find that the election of more women depends on three things: the presence of a crisis, a pool of politically experienced women, and a culture of gender consciousness. They also compare the characteristics of Central American women legislators to women in other national legislatures around the world.

The authors document how elected women have used their policy-making power to begin to change the lives of all Central Americans, women and men alike. In more than seventy-five in-depth, personal interviews, these women legislators reflect on their lives, political careers, and gender identities in their own words, providing deep insights into recent events in this region.