About Us
Equipping Couples for Lifelong Marriage through Faith and Accompaniment by Sponsor Couple® teams.
For Better & For Ever® is a nonprofit marriage preparation ministry dedicated to helping couples establish and sustain healthy, lifelong marriages through dialogue and interaction with trained Sponsor Couple® teams.
We serve engaged couples, married couples, dating couples, clergy, and marriage educators who believe that marriage is a vocation requiring both formation and ongoing support. While our roots are Catholic, we also assist couples who may not profess the Christian faith but share the conviction that lifelong marriage is best for couples, families, and children.
Our Mission
Our mission is to be an accessible, online resource that teaches what Christian marriage is and the skills needed to live it well.
Through education, dialogue, and Sponsor Couple® interactions, we help couples:
- Discern the vocation of marriage
- Develop healthy communication skills
- Understand the influence of family of origin
- Build a strong foundation for married and family life
We also support clergy and parish leaders by providing a proven, adaptable marriage preparation program that integrates Church teaching with lived experience.
Our Story
For Better & For Ever® began in 1974 in San Antonio, Texas, as an effort to improve upon large-group marriage preparation programs. Since these programs often lacked personal engagement and flexibility, we introduced a couple-to-couple model, employing trained volunteers—Sponsor Couple® teams—to accompany engaged couples through a series of guided conversations rooted in real experiences.
In 1980, For Better & For Ever® was published and made available to Catholic parishes across North America, with subsequent revisions expanding its pastoral depth, cultural adaptability, emphasis on family-of-origin awareness, and post-wedding support.
Today, For Better & For Ever® is widely used throughout the United States and internationally, supported by online resources and Zoom-based Sponsor Couple® training.
Our Approach
At the heart of For Better & For Ever® is dialogue.
Engaged couples prepare for meetings by reading selected chapters, answering questions together, and reflecting on their shared responses. Meetings with a Sponsor Couple® are conversational, confidential, and centered on listening rather than instruction.
This approach:
- Adapts to the needs and culture of each couple
- Creates a welcoming environment (in person or online virtual meetings)
- Often surfaces important issues that couples have not previously discussed
- Strengthens the marriages of the Sponsor Couple
- Provides follow-up support during the early years of marriage
Our Team & Leadership
For Better & For Ever® is supported by a dedicated resource team who bring pastoral experience, theological formation, and everyday wisdom to marriage ministry.
Rev. Robert A. Ruhnke C.Ss.R., M.Th., D.Min.
Founder and Author
Father Ruhnke is a Catholic priest who has spent decades helping couples prepare for marriage.
He also provides Sponsor Couple® training and consultation for clergy and marriage educators.
Joseph Cardinal Tobin C.Ss.R.
Archbishop of Newark, New Jersey
As a parish pastor, Cardinal Tobin promoted the use of the Sponsor Couple® model and For Better & For Ever® and continues to affirm its effectiveness in forming couples for the vocation of marriage and family life.
Tony & Heidi Battle
Sponsor Couple® Resource Team
Married in 2003, Tony and Heidi participated in the For Better & For Ever® program while preparing for their own marriage. They bring personal experience and pastoral care to couples beginning their married life. If you need assistance, please email us at:
Jerry Velasquez
Operations & Website Manager
Jerry has been involved with For Better & For Ever since 1980. “I understand the continuous challenges faced by couples seeking to build a lifelong relationship.”
If you need assistance, please email me at:
Charley & Michelle Matt
Sponsor Couple® Resource Team
Married in 2010, Charley and Michelle have been involved in marriage preparation ministry for many years. Their experience includes walking with couples through complex life situations while offering encouragement, faith, and practical wisdom. If you need assistance, please email us at:
Steve & Kathy Beirne
Sponsor Couple® Resource Team
Steve and Kathy Beirne are long-term marriage and family educators. They have been married since 1967, and live in Portland, Maine, with their large family. They are the authors of the award-winning book, Catholic and Newly Married, as well as The Family Book of Scripture. In 1993 they began publishing Foundations Newsletter for Married Couples which continues to this day. They produce FACET premarital resource, and the Facing Ahead discernment app.
Nonprofit Commitment
For Better & For Ever® is a nonprofit organization. All proceeds from program materials directly support our mission of strengthening marriages and building healthier families.
Sponsor Couple® training—including live Zoom sessions—is provided as a free service to parishes and dioceses seeking effective, sustainable marriage preparation.
Contact & Support
We welcome questions from couples, clergy, and marriage educators.
Begin the Journey Together
For Better & For Ever exists to help couples build marriages rooted in love, guided by wisdom, and supported by community—so they are prepared not only for a wedding, but for a lifetime together. Explore the program, discover resources, or learn how your parish or community can participate.
