Discerning Marriage

What if the biggest obstacle to discerning marriage isn’t finding the right person, but learning to trust God?In this conversation, Father Chris Alar and Elizabeth talk about Divine Mercy, past sexual sin and bondage, fear of choosing the wrong spouse, scrupulosity, spiritual direction, and how God works through the decisions we make. Father Chris also shares powerful lessons from St. Faustina’s Diary about spiritual warfare, temptation, forgiveness, sacrifice, and trust. They unpack what love actually requires in marriage, including the difference between masculine leadership and domination, feminine receptivity and submission, and why both husband and wife are called to sacrifice.If you’re dating, discerning marriage, or struggling to trust God with your future, this conversation is for you.Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska, Deluxe Burgundy Leather: https://shopmercy.org/diary-of-saint-maria-faustina-kowalska-deluxe-burgundy-leather.htmlDivine Mercy Plus: https://divinemercyplus.org/

Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info

📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram

👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.

Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

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What should dating actually look like if you’re discerning marriage? Elizabeth breaks down the six stages she recommends: singleness, friendship, dating, committed relationship, pre-engagement, and engagement. She explains when to become exclusive, why multiple first dates can be appropriate, when physical intimacy should enter the picture, and why commitment shouldn’t be taken lightly. She also explores why your single season matters, the importance of healing and community, and why the hardest conversations should happen before engagement. Finally, Elizabeth explains how intentional pre-engagement discernment can change your engagement and help you enter marriage having already asked the questions that matter most.

⁠Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info ⁠

⁠Next Step: A Course for Discerning Marriage ⁠

⁠Discerning Marriage x Emily Chapman ⁠

📸 ⁠Elizabeth’s Instagram⁠

👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our ⁠Next Step⁠ course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.

Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

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What if the patterns sabotaging your relationships began long before you met the person you want to marry? Dr. Gerry Crete shares how trauma, attachment styles, and unresolved wounds can shape the people we pursue, the relationships we struggle to sustain, and even the ways we turn to pornography or other behaviors for comfort. Elizabeth and Dr. Crete also unpack Internal Family Systems and its compatibility with Catholic faith. They discuss healing before marriage, recognizing self-sabotage, learning to love imperfect people, and using prayer and therapy to move toward secure attachment with Christ and others.

Souls & Hearts: https://www.soulsandhearts.com/

Pateris Agape: https://www.youtube.com/@PaterasAgape

Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info

📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram

👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.

Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

🛍️ ⁠Store⁠

Lance and Nicole have been married for 30 years, but their story of marriage and family didn't unfold the way they expected. They open up about infertility, miscarriage, grief, and the temptation to become bitter when the future you've imagined disappears. They also challenge the common advice to simply “adopt” and explain why adoption and infertility require very different discernment. Along the way, they share how suffering unexpectedly led to deep relationships with spiritual sons and daughters, including priests and young people they helped accompany through life. This is a conversation about loss, trust, parenthood, marriage, and discovering what God can bring from suffering.Nicole's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolerodriguezoffical/

Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info

📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram

👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.

Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

🔥 ⁠3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on the TOB⁠

💬 Text TOB to (404) 647-7682

⚡️ ⁠Support us & get access to leading TOB formation⁠

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How do you raise children who don’t just inherit your faith, but actually choose it for themselves? Angèle and André Regnier share what they learned raising five children while building a Catholic movement for university students. We talk about why parents should model prayer instead of simply demanding it, what to do when your children don’t want to pray, why the people your kids admire can shape them more than you realize, and how to intentionally create that influence. We also explore respecting teenagers, giving children real freedom, teaching them to make decisions, responding to suffering, and why parents should stop parenting from fear of the world.Angèle and André's book:

Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info

📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram

👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.

Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

🔥 ⁠3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on the TOB⁠

💬 Text TOB to (404) 647-7682

⚡️ ⁠Support us & get access to leading TOB formation⁠

📚 ⁠Course schedule⁠

🏔️ ⁠Pilgrimages⁠

🛍️ ⁠Store⁠

What can Hamilton teach us about dating, chastity, suffering, forgiveness, and marriage? Fr. Joseph-Anthony Kress joins Elizabeth Busby to explore why discernment is about faithfully taking the next step, not having your entire future figured out. They discuss why marriage is not a finish line, how couples can avoid waiting until temptation becomes overwhelming, and why we should not be scandalized by our own humanity. Drawing from pivotal moments in Hamilton, they also examine how suffering can draw us closer to Christ, why forgiveness does not mean forgetting, and what it means to choose a person, not simply the role they can play in your life.

https://godsplaining.org/

Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage: https://rosarypilgrimage.org/join-us-for-the-2026-novena-dominican-rosary-pilgrimage/

Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info

📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram

👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.

Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

🔥 ⁠3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on the TOB⁠

💬 Text TOB to (404) 647-7682

⚡️ ⁠Support us & get access to leading TOB formation⁠

📚 ⁠Course schedule⁠

🏔️ ⁠Pilgrimages⁠

🛍️ ⁠Store⁠

Kim Zember shares the extraordinary story of searching for love everywhere she could find it—same-sex relationships, success, missions, marriage, and even becoming someone she no longer recognized. She opens up about cheating on her husband, living with deep shame, and why none of it brought the peace she longed for. In this conversation with Elizabeth Busby, they explore unwanted singleness, same-sex attraction, healing, the difference between knowing about God and truly encountering Him, why so many people see God as a judge instead of a Father, and how discovering Christ transformed every desire without erasing the struggle.Restless Heart by Kim ZemberKim Zember’s IGKim’s website

Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info

📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram

👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.

Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

🔥 ⁠3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on the TOB⁠

💬 Text TOB to (404) 647-7682

⚡️ ⁠Support us & get access to leading TOB formation⁠

📚 ⁠Course schedule⁠

🏔️ ⁠Pilgrimages⁠

🛍️ ⁠Store⁠

What does it actually mean to live for truth when it costs you something? In this conversation, we explore one of the most misunderstood figures in Scripture: John the Baptist. From his courage to confront powerful people to his willingness to die for the sanctity of marriage, his life challenges our understanding of discipleship, masculinity, and holiness. Along the way, we also hear Fr. Sean’s personal story, discuss discerning God's will, overcoming fear, and discovering joy through prayer. Whether you're wrestling with faith, searching for purpose, or wanting to understand why truth matters, this conversation will leave you thinking differently.Get Fr. Sean's "Prophet of Fire" here

Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info

📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram

👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.

Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

🔥 ⁠3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on the TOB⁠

💬 Text TOB to (404) 647-7682

⚡️ ⁠Support us & get access to leading TOB formation⁠

📚 ⁠Course schedule⁠

🏔️ ⁠Pilgrimages⁠

🛍️ ⁠Store⁠

What keeps good people single? In this candid conversation, Catholic matchmaker Madigan shares the hard truths she's learned from working with thousands of singles. We discuss unrealistic expectations, dating app culture, ghosting, attraction, self-improvement, and why so many people struggle to find a spouse despite deeply desiring marriage. Madigan also shares her own unexpected love story, practical advice for discerning marriage, and her framework for knowing when you're choosing wisely versus settling. Whether you're single, dating, or helping someone discern their vocation, this episode offers hope, challenge, and a fresh perspective on modern Catholic dating.

commitmentism.com/

📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram

👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.

Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

🔥 ⁠3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on the TOB⁠

💬 Text TOB to (404) 647-7682

⚡️ ⁠Support us & get access to leading TOB formation⁠

📚 ⁠Course schedule⁠

🏔️ ⁠Pilgrimages⁠

🛍️ ⁠Store⁠

What does it actually take to build a marriage that lasts?In this episode, Dr. Gregory Popcak shares the surprising story of proposing after just two months of dating, how he and his wife Lisa built a 37-year marriage, and why prayer became the foundation of everything they created together. We discuss why so many faithful Catholics struggle to find someone to marry, the difference between piety and genuine devotion, how to identify humility while dating, and the single best predictor of future marital success.We also dive into parenting, why treating children like projects backfires, what causes adult children to drift away from their parents, and the habits shared by families who successfully pass on the faith. This conversation is packed with practical wisdom for discerning marriage, building strong relationships, and creating a home where faith truly comes alive.
Dr. Gregory Popcak's Website

Ignite Hope Discerning Marriage Retreat Info

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📸 Elizabeth’s Instagram

👩‍❤️‍👨 If you’re seriously dating and thinking about getting engaged, check out our Next Step course to help discern if you’re both ready for engagement.

Theology of the Body Institute Resources:

🔥 ⁠3 FREE sessions of our flagship course on the TOB⁠

💬 Text TOB to (404) 647-7682

⚡️ ⁠Support us & get access to leading TOB formation⁠

📚 ⁠Course schedule⁠

🏔️ ⁠Pilgrimages⁠

🛍️ ⁠Store⁠