Newlyweds Ricky and Samantha Romero share examples of building a marriage mindset
As a newlywed, Ricky Romero can look back at his parents’ example and clearly see how they planted the seeds for his own marriage.
“For me, it was seeing my parents take it seriously,” he said. “It was like a channel of love that they showed us. It made me take (marriage) seriously.”
Through his parents, Ricky and his siblings were involved in Couples for Christ, a family-based ministry that included praise and worship, fellowship and incorporated lessons on different topics.
“It was valuable because they surrounded themselves with other married couples, talking about married life or having kids,” he said. “It was a tight-knit community ministry.”
Before Ricky married his bride, Samantha, in July of 2025 at the Oratory of Sts. Gregory and Augustine, the two prepared for their marriage with a priest. But Ricky’s work as a videographer with Mater Media opened him to an opportunity to explore the vocation of marriage further through a series of videos that he helped create for the Celebrate Catholic Marriage Experience.
The marriage enrichment program not only transformed how he prayed with his wife, but also helped the couple to learn more about sacrificial love. They also spent time asking each other important questions about living together, having children and finances. Through their conversations and the example of other couples they met through the Celebrate Catholic Marriage Experience, the Romeros realized they didn’t have to have everything figured out at the start of their lives as newlyweds.
“Seeing other couples share their failures and their struggles after being married was humbling and almost comforting,” he said. “We realized we don’t have to have everything figured out. It’s the start of growing into the saints we were making each other.”
“We realized we don’t have to be perfect,” Samantha said. “You don’t have to be perfect, you just have to be willing to commit to growing.”
Jubilant Marriages
Jubilant Marriages is an initiative from the archdiocesan Office of Marriage and Family Life that offers resources to married couples to help them recognize the gift and sacramental nature of their marriages.
It’s a local response to the U.S. bishops’ 2021 document, “Called to the Joy of Love,” a national framework for marriage and family life ministry. Realizing that married couples and families are the heart of parish life and discipleship, the bishops challenged each other to develop ways to assist Catholic couples throughout the various stages of their married and family life.
Jubilant Marriages also includes spiritual and practical resources for singles who are preparing to live the vocation of marriage, as well as resources for priests and parishes to build community in the parish around marriage.
To learn more, visit www.archstl.org/jubilant-marriages/
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Other resources
Joy-Filled Marriage is an in-person preparation program offered by the archdiocese for young couples getting ready for the sacrament of marriage. www.MarriagePrepSTL.org
The Image of God Institute provides tools for young people to anchor their lives in a Theology of the Body lifestyle. Through intensive weekends, reading and discussion groups, conferences and seminars and parish-based experiences, participants learn to apply the truth of life as a “gift” in daily living and relationships. imageofgodinstitute.org
The Side-by-Side marriage mentorship program is a new initiative that pairs a veteran married couple with an engaged couple, ideally in the same parish, to lead them through marriage preparation and the first months of newlywed life. marriageprepstl.org/mentor-couples.
Couples for Christ is a Catholic movement intended for the renewal and strengthening of Christian family life. couplesforchristusa.org
Christian Family Movement promotes Christ-centered marriages and family life and builds communities of families who provide each other with spiritual and practical support. www.cfm.org
The Celebrate Catholic Marriage Experience is a program for married couples to enrich and celebrate their marriages. www.matermedia.org/celebratecatholicmarriage
