The Catholic Woman Podcast

How to plan a Catholic wedding step by step: what makes a marriage sacramental, how to book a Catholic church for a wedding, what documents you need for a Catholic wedding, and how to navigate convalidation or a mixed marriage in the Catholic Church. Taught by Marie Hanson, Catholic wedding planner of five years.

This episode covers:
- What is the difference between validity, licitness, and sacramentality in a Catholic marriage
- How far in advance to book a Catholic church wedding and why parishes take longer than reception venues
- What is pre-cana and how do Catholic marriage prep requirements vary by diocese
- What paperwork is needed for a Catholic wedding, including baptismal certificates, letters of freedom to marry, and marriage dispensations
- What is convalidation and how to convalidate a marriage in the Catholic Church
- Mixed marriage vs disparity of cult in Catholic weddings, and which one requires a dispensation
- Full nuptial mass vs rite of marriage outside of Mass, and how to decide which one is right for your wedding
- Catholic wedding dress code and modesty guidelines, plus photography and music rules during a Catholic wedding Mass
- A complete Catholic wedding planning checklist and timeline, from guest list to reception

Grab the free Catholic wedding planning checklist with 350+ to-do’s: https://catholicwoman.co/catholic-wedding-planning-checklist

Join Presence for weekly texts and journal reflections with Marie. Code CWP for your first month free at catholicwoman.co/present.

Free resources from Marie:
- Free Wedding Planning Checklist (350+ to-dos): https://catholicwoman.co/catholic-wedding-planning-checklist
- Catholic wedding templates (mass programs, invitations, stationery, and more), code CWP30 for 30% off: https://catholicweddingshop.etsy.com?coupon=CWP30

The Catholic Woman Podcast:
- Presence Texts: https://catholicwoman.co/present
- Newsletter: https://catholicwoman.co/newsletter
- Substack: https://substack.com/@thecatholicwoman
- Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/share/g/1GeKDTt7WA/
- Website: https://catholicwoman.co
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecatholicwomanpodcast
- YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheCatholicWomanPodcast

Thank you to our sponsors:
- Catholic Sobriety Coach, Sober-ish Summer: https://www.thecatholicsobrietycoach.com
- St. Joseph's House of Repose mentorship, mention "The Catholic Woman Podcast" for a free third month: https://stjosephshouseofrepose.com
- Salt and Light by Sami, code CATHOLICWOMAN: https://saltandlightbysami.com/CATHOLICWOMAN

SEARCH KEYWORDS:
how to plan a Catholic wedding, what makes a marriage sacramental, difference between validity licitness and sacramentality, how far in advance to book a Catholic church wedding, what is pre-cana Catholic wedding, Catholic marriage prep requirements by diocese, what paperwork is needed for a Catholic wedding, how to convalidate a marriage in the Catholic Church, mixed marriage vs disparity of cult, full nuptial mass vs rite of marriage outside Mass, Catholic wedding dress code and modesty guidelines, Catholic wedding music rules, Catholic wedding planning checklist, baptismal certificate for wedding, letters of freedom to marry Catholic wedding

Almost every Catholic has someone they love who has walked away from the Church. A sibling, an adult child, a spouse, or the friend who insists she can pray just fine at home. This week Kristine Bruce, founder of Praying for Our Prodigals, shares the four pillars that actually bring people back, and why arguing is almost never the thing that does it.

NEW this week!!! Every episode now comes with a free recap you can save and revisit. Sign up once at https://catholicwoman.co/episode-recaps and you'll get the recap for this show plus access to all the past ones, no notetaking required.

In this episode:
- Why your relatives are usually not the ones you'll convert directly, and what to do instead
- The four pillars Kristine built her whole apostolate around: trust, pray, sacrifice, and love
- The small daily sacrifice that brought one person home (yes, it involved giving up chapstick)
- How to ask better questions so you reach the real reason someone left, not the polite one
- What to do when a fallen-away loved one receives the Eucharist anyway
- How to hold the line on hard things like cohabitation without breaking the relationship
- The prayer from St. Faustina's diary that Kristine prays at every consecration

If this one meets you where you are, follow the show so you never miss an episode, and come join Presence. Three short texts a week that find you in the middle of an ordinary day and turn your heart back to what matters. Your first month is free with code CWP at https://catholicwoman.co/present.

Connect with Kristine Bruce:
- Praying for Our Prodigals: https://prayingforourprodigals.com
- Sign up for her Friday email and get a free download on the four pillars

The Catholic Woman Podcast:
- Presence Texts: https://catholicwoman.co/present (use code “CWP” for your first month free, then it’s just $5)
- Newsletter and show notifications: https://catholicwoman.co/newsletter
- Substack: https://substack.com/@thecatholicwoman
- Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/share/g/1GeKDTt7WA/
- Website: https://catholicwoman.co
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecatholicwomanpodcast
- YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheCatholicWomanPodcast

Thank you to our sponsors:
- Salt and Light by Sami: toxin-free candles, diffusers, and perfumes. Use code CatholicWoman at https://saltandlightbysami.com
- Mary and the Saints: beautiful, genuinely doable Marian consecration books and more. Use code CWP15 for 15% off at https://maryandthesaints.com
- The Catholic Sobriety Coach: join Soberish Summer, 62 days for $62, start anytime this summer at https://thecatholicsobrietycoach.com

Search keywords: praying for prodigals, loving fallen away catholics, how to bring someone back to the catholic church, catholic conversion, reversion to the faith, prayer for fallen away family members, rosary for conversion, fasting for conversion of souls, st faustina divine mercy, four pillars of conversion, catholic women podcast, how to talk to someone who left the church, evangelizing loved ones, catholic family prayer, loving our prodigals

🎉 EPISODE 50 GIVEAWAY (enter before July 6th!) To celebrate 50 episodes, we're giving away a big box of Catholic goodies plus a gift card. Here's how to enter:
- Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts (you don't need an Apple device to do this), screenshot it, and either DM @thecatholicwomanpodcast on Instagram or email it to thecatholicwomanpodcast@gmail.com
- Bonus entry: subscribe to the show on YouTube, screenshot it, and send it over
- Bonus entry: comment on the pinned giveaway post on Instagram, screenshot it, and send it over.
The winner is drawn July 6th, the day next week's episode airs. Good luck!

Ruthie Dellasega spent years trying to change her life on willpower, and nothing held until she did a Marian consecration she almost stumbled into. In this Episode 50 milestone conversation, we talk about Mary as the real, relatable model of Catholic womanhood, why going to Jesus through her actually deepens your relationship with him, and the five-second prayer that can start it all.

In this episode:
- Why Mary is the model of Catholic womanhood, and how to stop seeing her as untouchable
- Ruthie's conversion story and the consecration she almost didn't finish
- The difference between a mountaintop high that fades and a change that actually stays
- Our Lady of the Kitchen, and praying "Mary, fill the gap" in the middle of ordinary motherhood
- Why we go to Jesus through Mary instead of around her
- Why the devil is genuinely afraid of Mary
- The simplest possible way to start a Marian consecration this week

If this is your first time here, hit subscribe so you never miss an episode. And come join Presence for weekly texts, journal reflections, and a monthly live call with me. Use code CWP for your first month free at https://catholicwoman.co/present.

Connect with Ruthie Delasega: 
Website: https://www.maryandthesaints.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/mary_and_saints 

The Catholic Woman Podcast: 
Website: https://catholicwoman.co
Subscribe on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheCatholicWomanPodcast
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecatholicwomanpodcast 
FREE episode recap library: https://catholicwoman.co/episode-recaps

Thank you to our sponsors!

- Reclaiming Catholic Intimacy: grab the free download, What the Church Really Says About Sex and Marriage, at https://reclaimingcatholicintimacy.com/cwp

- Contemporary Saints: a Catholic family-owned modest fashion boutique with free US shipping over $70 and 15% off when you sign up for emails, https://contemporarysaints.com

- Sacred Heart Mental Wellness: Catherine DiNuzzo, author of The Catholic Guide Through Anxiety and its new companion workbook. Use code CWP15 for 15% off her entire shop at https://sacredheartmentalwellness.com

Search Keywords - marian consecration, how to consecrate yourself to mary, mary and the saints, 33 days to morning glory, relationship with mary, devotion to mary, catholic women, why go to jesus through mary, total consecration to mary, our lady of the kitchen, marian consecration for beginners, catholic motherhood, consecration to mary prayer, mary model of womanhood, the catholic woman podcast

Most Catholic women were never told that sex is supposed to feel good for them. Ellen Holloway is a Catholic sex and intimacy coach, and she is filling the gaping hole of practical, faithful sex education that the Church has always supported but almost no one has been willing to talk about. This conversation is honest, charitable, and completely in line with Church teaching, and it will change the way you think about intimacy in your marriage.

In this episode, we cover:
- What the Church actually teaches about sex and marriage and why it is good news, not a rule book
- Why desire tends to decrease over the course of a marriage, and the surprisingly simple reason behind it
- Why pain during sex is never something to push through and what to do instead
- The truth about lubrication: only about 20% of women adequately lubricate on their own, and what that means for you
- What JPII called a "justice issue"  and why learning to experience orgasm is not selfish, it's important
- How pelvic floor dysfunction and conditions like endometriosis affect intimacy, and what actually helps
- Why healing your own sex life is one of the most important things you can do for your daughters and sons

Free resource from Ellen: https://reclaimingcatholicintimacy.com/CWP

NEW! Never take notes again. Get the FREE one-page listener guide for every episode at https://catholicwoman.co/episode-recaps

Connect with Ellen Holloway:
Free download: https://reclaimingcatholicintimacy.com/CWP/
Podcast: Reclaiming Catholic Intimacy (on all podcast platforms) 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/ellenholloway_

The Catholic Woman Podcast: 
Presence Texts: https://catholicwoman.co/present (Use code CWP for your first month free, then it's just $5)
Newsletter: https://catholicwoman.co/newsletter 
Substack: https://substack.com/@thecatholicwoman
Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/share/g/1GeKDTt7WA/ 
Website: https://catholicwoman.co 
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecatholicwomanpodcast 
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheCatholicWomanPodcast

Thank you to our sponsors!!!
Bono the Good Boy Podcast - A podcast your whole family will love. Listen on Fio | Apple Podcasts | Spotify 

Mangio Arts - Catholic art for your home. Use code WOMANPODCAST for 15% off: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MangioArtsStore 

Contemporary Saints - Modest fashion for Catholic women: https://contemporarysaints.com

Search Keywords: Catholic sex and intimacy, Catholic marriage podcast, intimacy in Catholic marriage, theology of the body marriage, how to desire sex in marriage, low libido Catholic wife, painful sex Catholic women, pelvic floor dysfunction marriage, orgasm Catholic teaching, Humanae Vitae explained simply, Catholic intimacy coach, Ellen Holloway podcast, Reclaiming Catholic Intimacy, Catholic women and sexuality, marital intimacy after kids

You've heard it a thousand times: work-life balance. But what if that phrase is actually working against you? 
In this episode, Marie Hanson sits down with Carolyn Espinoza, co-founder of Sole Atelier, to have the honest conversation about what it actually looks like to live an integrated life as a Catholic woman; one where your work, your faith, your family, and your interior life aren't competing, they're unified.

In this episode, we discuss:
- Why "work-life balance" is a myth and the more life-giving framework Catholic women should embrace instead
- The critical difference between a distraction and an interruption and how knowing the difference will transform your focus and your peace
- How to build a realistic daily schedule that actually works, even in the exhausting seasons of motherhood with little ones
- The power of choosing just three priorities for your week and why more goals actually means less gets done
- How to set concrete, positive goals in areas that are hard to measure like virtue, patience, and prayer
- Why women who work outside the home shouldn't carry shame, and what the saints show us about women, vocation, and work
- How to find meaning and spiritual value in tasks that no one sees or celebrates: the laundry, the diapers, the invisible work
- The role of goal-setting in sanctity and why Pope Francis says dreaming is a deeply human and spiritual act
- Why starting and ending on time is actually a virtue (and the beautiful example of Blessed Alvaro del Portillo at Vatican II)
- The one thing Carolyn says to do first when you feel like peace and order are completely out of reach

Connect with Carolyn Espinoza:
Website: https://www.soleatelier.com
Instagram: https://instagram.com/soleatelierllc

The Catholic Woman Podcast:
Presence Texts: https://catholicwoman.co/presence (Use code CWP for your first month free!)
Newsletter & show notifications: https://catholicwoman.co/newsletter
Substack: https://substack.com/@thecatholicwoman
Facebook Group: https://facebook.com/share/g/1GeKDTt7WA/
Website: https://catholicwoman.co
Instagram: https://instagram.com/thecatholicwomanpodcast
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@TheCatholicWomanPodcast

Thank you to our show sponsors!
Reclaiming Catholic Intimacy — The honest, faithful resource for Catholic women navigating intimacy in marriage. Get your free download at https://reclaimingcatholicintimacy.com/cwp
Contemporary Saints — Modest, feminine fashion rooted in beauty and faith. Shop at https://contemporarysaints.com and subscribe to their emails for 15% off your first order.
Those Who Mourn — A monthly Catholic magazine for those walking through grief. Visit https://thosewhomournmag.com
Trinity Tree Publishing — Helping Catholic authors write, edit, and self-publish. Visit https://trinitytreepublishing.com