Marriage was the most important decision of our lives. When we got engaged, we knew all the feelings of excitement and joy could easily give way to anxiety about the "big day." We tried to be very intentional about strengthening the foundation for our life together rather than dwelling on all the details of the wedding day.

Although we were two Catholics active in our faith, we knew we still had a lot to learn ... . Thankfully, as part of our wedding planning, we completed the pre-Cana program Transformed in Love. The program opened our eyes to see the things we didn't know, and helped us think about how we could better enact our plan to embody Catholic family values in our life together.

The Central Ministries team empowered us with financial, practical, interpersonal and communicative tools for the life-long commitment of marriage. It helped us make sure our focus was not on the wedding plans but rather on the sacramental bond of our wedding day. When it came time to say, "I do," after months of intentional preparation, we entered the church well prepared.

Four years later, we are a family of three with the addition of our daughter, Grace. We now teach Transformed in Love as volunteers with Central Ministries to 2,500 couples each year in the Archdiocese of Boston. The program's effect on our family inspires us to share that gift with others. Our experience in the pre-Cana ministry encourages us to use our talents to help form others preparing for marriage.

Today, as we share our experience with this ministry, we invite you to play an important role in preparing young families like us for marriage. The pre-Cana program depends on funding from people like you through the annual Catholic Appeal. We ourselves support the appeal because we see how ministries like pre-Cana hand on the faith to the next generation and build up our parishes.

Please join us in making a gift to this year's Catholic Appeal and support the evangelization ministries making a difference in the life of the Church. As we see our daughter grow each day and our family take shape, we are encouraged by the Church and its future. Our thriving parish communities and ministries make us optimistic as new parents eager to pass on the faith.

MEGHAN AND COLLIN MCBRIDE LIVE IN MELROSE WITH THEIR DAUGHTER, GRACE. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CATHOLIC APPEAL AND TO SEE A VIDEO OF THEIR STORY, PLEASE VISIT WWW.BOSTONCATHOLICAPPEAL.ORG.