Canonical Interview: Done!

Mox and I took a whole day leave from work yesterday to do more wedding preps. The first thing on our agenda was our canonical interview at Christ the King Church, which was done by one of their resident priests.

I was actually a bit nervous about this interview because I didn''t know what to expect. Some couples say that they were asked to recite the seven Sacraments or the 10 Commandments, while others say they were merely asked personal questions about their relationship. I was really hoping that our interview would be like the latter as I could not recall any lessons that I have learned from my Christian Living Education classes. Baka ibagsak nila kami pag di namin ma-recite ang "Our Father." Katakot lang.

So after submitting our church documents to the parish office, we were both given questionnaires to answer for the interview. The form was four pages long, with multiple-choice questions and some essay questions too! Daig pa ang entrance exam! Haha!

We took quite some time in answering the form. Some questions were easy to answer, but the others were actually thought-provoking. Mox and I had to discuss some of the items to make sure we were on the same page. Fine, nagkopyahan kami, pero ang hihirap naman kasi ng mga tanong eh!

Here are some of the more memorable questions:

1. "If your partner is not in the mood for sex, you will:"

              a) get angry
              b) go to sleep
              c) watch TV
              d) try to seduce him/her
              e) others: ______________ 
  
      2. "The husband should:"

              a) keep a "secret" account
              b) keep a separate account
              c) give all his salary to his wife
              d) give enough to pay for the household expenses
              e) others: _______________

Oh diba, ang hirap sagutin? But honestly, this gave us the opportunity to learn more about each other's opinions on sex, finance, religion and other important topics.

After finishing our questionnaires, we gave them to the parish coordinator again and waited for our turn to be called. I was called first into the counseling room, where this young priest asked me to swear by the Bible that I will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. He then asked me a few simple questions like my age, Mox's age and if we will be getting married on our own free will. The questions became a bit more personal afterwards; he asked me how Mox and I met, how long our courtship was, and how did I know that I was ready to get married and that Mox was "the one". I was actually getting a bit teary-eyed while answering; I guess the questions really made me think on why I decided to say "yes" to Mox's proposal. And I'm happy to know that I have definitely made the right decision. :)

Then it was Mox's turn, and afterwards, we were both called in together. I thought the priest was going to ask us more questions about our relationships, but he just asked us if we wanted to say something to each other before we get married. Sort of like saying our pre-wedding vows to each other. Then, the priest congratulated us on our upcoming wedding and gave us his blessing. The whole interview was done in less than 15 minutes! Mas matagal pa paghihintay namin at pagsagot namin ng questionnaires.

Whew! Finally, we can finally check another church requirement off our list. All we had to do now was to attend the pre-cana seminar in February, submit our remaining church requirements, and we're done!

Some tips to remember:
1. Bring a pen to fill up the forms. Also, stretch your fingers and prepare to do some heavy-duty writing. Ang sakit sa kamay promise.
2. Bring snacks to munch on while waiting. 
3. Just be honest. :)