One of the most joyful apostolates of Regnum Christi NY Tristate may also be one of the least known, and this program has been around for over 30 years! Three to Get Married is Regnum Christi’s pre Cana marriage preparation program. Twice a year the fathers, married couples, and experts in their respective fields welcome couples to the LC Rye Community House for a two day program. If you are like my husband and I, our memories of our Pre Cana program are hazy, and if I’m being honest, not extremely positive. We wish we had known about Three to Get Married!

Fr. Jorge Obregon, LC, and I have been leading this apostolate for the last four years. It is such a joy to be a part of the Three to Get Married team and to spend time with excited, eager engaged couples. Every time we lead a weekend session, I am filled with gratitude for the privilege of helping these couples take time off from planning their weddings, so they can spend a weekend focusing on their future marriages. Couples of all ages and at all levels of spirituality have attended our program. We even had a couple who flew in from the Midwest just to take our program because the groom’s parents had participated in Three to Get Married over 25 years ago at the Rye house. There is something special about this program, and the LC Community House is the perfect venue for our Three to Get Married weekend, offering the advantage of a warm, cozy atmosphere that encourages personal attention for each couple.

As I did a little digging into the history of Three to Get Married, I was not surprised to learn that a great deal of passion and effort went into creating these Pre Cana sessions. Three to Get Married was originally developed by Fr. Richard Gill, LC, and Fr. John Hopkins, LC, in close consultation with Regnum Christi married couples and Catholic psychologists. The very first session was held in Washington, DC, in 1993. The program was then shared with Fr. Peter Hopkins, LC, in New York in 1994. In the Archdiocese of NY, prior to 1994, the Legionaries had been running the Archdiocese’s one-day program. Three to Get Married is now a national Regnum Christi program and is continually updated to address the concerns and needs of Catholic marriages in today’s world.

Nevertheless, what truly sets Regnum Christi’s Pre-Cana program apart is the inspiring group of people who share their stories and insights. The presenters for each talk are experts in their fields and are mostly RC members who are well-formed in their faith. The theological themes are covered by priests. Talks about marriage “best practices” are given by experienced married couples and psychological topics are covered by professionals in the field. We cover practical topics such as finance, communication, and NFP, while also offering spiritual wisdom regarding the sacramental importance of marriage. I was particularly moved by our last Three to Get Married weekend at which all of the marriage talks were given by couples who had previously taken our Pre Cana course and are now married with their own young families. Their enthusiasm, for their topics and their marriages, was a beautiful witness for our couples of what a Catholic marriage can look like in today’s world.

So, if you or someone you know is getting married soon, check out this link on the RC Tristate website. Our next program will be held  March 21 – 22, 2026.  We would love to welcome you to our joy-filled program, where together we will spend two days focusing on your marriage and the beautiful truth behind our title: Three to Get Married—you, your spouse, and God.

Joyfully in Christ,

Laura Esposito

Director, Three to Get Married