Marriage Formation at St. Stephen the Martyr

Walking with couples on their journey of finding Heaven

The Sacrament of Matrimony is a vocation – a public and covenantal commitment between a man and a woman to spend a lifetime together – creating and nurturing life, and helping each other to become their best self in Jesus, in life, and to others. The Sacrament is a visible sign of God’s unconditional love for us and brings grace and joy to the new couple.

Preparation for Marriage begins at least 6 months before the desired wedding date. St. Stephen the Martyr utilizes the Witness to Love program and curriculum for marriage preparation. Please review the flow chart below and then contact the parish office at (402) 896-9675 to begin formation. We look forward to celebrating this sacrament with you!

Click Here to View Marriage Preparation Fees

Meet Our

Marriage Prep Coordinators

Scott & Julie Tylski

Married in 1994

Hello! We met in high school at a small-town grocery store. Julie was a cashier and Scott was a stocker. We were married in 1994 while still in college. Ashley was born in 1996 and is now graduated from PA School. She is married to Will and resides in Kansas City. Ethan was born in 1999 and is completing his degree in Secondary Education at UNL. We love to hike, read, and try new breweries and beers. The secret to our marriage is nothing profound. We just try our best to put the other first and, some days, simply commit to the commitment of the marriage vows we made to each other and to God.

Meet Our

Marriage Mentor Couples

Patrick & Rachel Cooley

Married in 2011

We are Patrick and Rachel Cooley. We met each other through mutual friends in late 2010 and were married 18 months later. It was an obvious “yes” for both of us!

We have six kids and can be found partying with them daily. Patrick loves basketball, baseball, football, backpacking and canoeing and Rachel loves hiking, the mountains, traveling, baking and wine. And we love to do all these things together!

Our biggest advice to married couples would be to allow God a huge place in your relationship and keep growing together.

Brad & Cherie Costanzo

Married in 1997

Hello, we are Brad and Cherie Costanzo. We met each other at our first jobs out of college at a public accounting firm where we became friends and eventually started dating. Once we began dating, we quickly got engaged and were married at St. Peter’s Catholic Church here in Omaha in 1997. We joined St. Stephen’s when we were expecting our first child and were blessed to welcome our first son in 2000. Then, we had our daughter in 2002, a son in 2005, and another son in 2008. All four of our kids attended St. Stephen the Martyr School. Three have graduated from Skutt Catholic High School and our youngest attends Skutt currently.

We’ve spent a lot of time supporting our kids’ sporting activities and cheering for the Huskers as we are season ticket holders. We also enjoy spending time with friends, going on vacations, and traveling.

We have realized that we are sanctified by our marriage to each other as we allow one another to be individuals with room to grow and change, yet always knowing that we are secure in our love, never questioning our fidelity and faithfulness to each other. We have also learned to surrender the outcome of our children’s lives to God’s plan for them. Watching our children develop into the people that God created them to be continues to be a wonderful gift to us.

We look forward to helping you prepare for your marriage!

Schyler & Courtney Fricke

Married in 2009

Hello! My name is Courtney Fricke, and my husband is Schyler Fricke. We have two boys, Nicholas who is 9 and Lucas who is 6. We also have 2 dogs, Layla a Golden Retriever and Penny an English Cocker Spaniel. Our love story began in 2005 at Hastings College during the January term that was called Interim where we were in the same class. After meeting in class, we began communicating via email back and forth for a few weeks and then he asked me to officially come over and hang out “low key date.” In high school, I didn’t date a lot. I had a lot of guy friends and was super busy and involved in so many things. After I was done with cheerleading practice he came and picked me up and we went to his apartment. We ate and then watched Hitch. Then for me to get to know him a little better he brought out a scrapbook that his aunt had made him for his high school graduation. At that moment my nerves calmed, and I knew he was different. After our first date, we continued growing our friendship. We met each other’s families and spent lots of time with each of them. During our college years, our relationship grew, and we enjoyed learning about our different hobbies and fun things we liked to do together. He learned how much my Catholic faith meant to me and that I was a very traditional girl. In the fall of 2008, he met with my parents and ask for their blessing to propose. On December 17^th, 2008, Schyler proposed, and I said yes. Schyler grew up Methodist, so I was his sponsor through his adventure of RCIA. We were united in marriage on November 7th, 2009. Being newlyweds was amazing. We bought our 1st home, and both started new careers. We did some traveling and enjoyed going out on the weekends. Being married for 13 years, there have been a variety of things we have learned. Make God the center of your marriage and pray for one another daily. Communication is pertinent and whenever there is a time when you feel the need to be silent, it is probably time to sit down and talk. Dream and set goals together. Never stop dating your spouse. It is ok to disagree, each person is different and may have different ideas. Don’t forget to say I love you and I’m sorry when it’s needed. When you are mad or frustrated try to hold your tongue and think about what you are going to say before saying it; words can be piercing. Learn to focus on your spouse’s strengths rather than weaknesses. Remember that your overall goal is to help get your spouse to heaven.

Benny & Danny Micek

Married in 2012

We are Dani and Benny Micek. We are both Omaha natives. We have two boys named Miles (7) and Leo (5) who are in second grade and kindergarten at St Stephen the Martyr.

We had just celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in June. How did we get here……

Back in 2009 I had just graduated college down in Lincoln - GO BIG RED! and moved back to Omaha. Dani played volleyball and had graduated from a small school in Minneapolis MN and moved back home.

We both love sports. I am a Husker through and through and given Dani played volleyball, she loved Nebraska Volleyball as well as Husker football. Being from Omaha we also enjoy sporting events such as Creighton basketball and College World Series. We also enjoy the outdoor lifestyle of camping, fishing, and hunting.

We grew up with what both of our parents taught us: work hard, be kind, and live a faith-filled life. We both grew up in Catholic households. There is much more to our story from extreme highs and lows that we came out of, with the help of family, friends, and faith. We look forward to telling you more about our story and are excited to hear yours!

Scott & Annie Sanderson

Married in 2009

Hello! We are Scott and Annie Sanderson and have been married for 13 years. We met in high school, dated throughout college, and were married at St. Stephen the Martyr in 2009.

We are blessed with three amazing children (Adam-7, Natalie-5, and Jack-1) who keep us active and busy. As a family, we love to hike, watch movies, go on family walks, and cook together. As a couple, we enjoy trying new foods and wines, traveling, spending time with friends, and playing board games!

If we could give one piece of advice regarding marriage it would simply be, to listen. Listen to your spouse in your marriage, listen to God in your marriage, and listen to yourself in your marriage. By listening you prioritize and through that priority of God, you, and your spouse, all other things will fall into place.

Nick & China Weil

Married in 2016

Nick grew up in Southern California with a small extended family and China is a Nebraska farm girl with six times more siblings than Nick has first cousins. Despite their opposite backgrounds, they connected online in their mid-20s. After Nick finished law school, he moved to Chicago to be closer to China studying at Notre Dame. They spent their first year of marriage in Chicago before permanently and happily resettling in the Good Life.

Nick works from home as a technology attorney and China stays at home with their three (soon to be four) kids, which they love! Every home project helps them fall in love even more with their space, which means they may soon never leave it again.

One reason why they are interested in marriage formation is out of gratitude for the excellent formation they received from priests, professors, spiritual directors, and mentor couples while engaged. Six years into marriage, they feel like their intentional Catholic formation during engagement gave them a strong foundation for a lifelong marriage. They are eager to welcome you into their home and their lives, and China promises to bake for you.

Aaron & Brooke Keller

Married in 2004

We first became aware of each other’s existence when we rode the bus together in the 7^th and 8^th grades. Granted, at that point, it was “hey, isn’t that the red-headed kid who rides the bus?”. Fast forward through high school and the early years of college where we were more acquaintances than friends. Our friendship developed while at the UNL Newman Center and we began dating during our junior and senior years of college.

We married soon after graduation in 2004. We spent the first 10 years of our lives in Olathe, KS where our family doubled in size with Gabriela (15) and Katelyn (9). We moved back to Nebraska 8 years ago and have been members of St. Stephen since then.

Aaron is a civil engineer and Brooke is a professional volunteer. In our free time we enjoy hanging out with family, playing board games, attending our girls’ events, and volunteering for the church.

Marriage is an adventure with its ups and downs, trials and joys. Realize that the Lord is the only perfect person in the relationship, and keep him at the center of it all.

Dustin & Theresa Ourada

Married in 2012

We have been married for 10 years and have 4 children. Landon (8), Zachary (5), Zoe (3), and Kaylee (1). Dustin and I originally met back in high school at a Catholic youth retreat called Higher Ground. We only chit-chatted with each other there and since this was pre-cell phone or pre-social media time we kind of lost contact with each other and drifted apart. We both headed off to college and would see each other from time to time since I went to nursing school with his sister, but for the most part, it was still only a "hey, I know you" type of interaction. After college, I went to Lincoln with my roommate (which is where Dustin was living at the time) to the opening Husker football game. We ended up reconnecting that night and soon after Dustin asked me out on a date, and have been together ever since.

Our hobbies consist mostly of running around after our 4 kids. But when we are not doing that we like watching/attending Husker football games, visiting our hometowns in central Nebraska to see family, and enjoying the country life, camping, and binge-watching shows on Netflix.

Our piece of advice would be that you will have fights/arguments/misunderstandings, but to be sure that at the end of the night before going to bed you have communicated, talked it out, and prayed together to strengthen your love. Another piece of advice that we were actually told during our Marriage Prep was to always remember that God comes first, then your relationship, and then everything else (kids, job, etc.).

John & Pat Sullivan

Married in 1983

John and Pat Sullivan were married at age 22 after a high school and college courtship. In 2023, they will celebrate 40 years of marriage.

Raised in Delaware County PA, they came to Omaha for work and family. In 1992, they established their own family within the St. Stephen the Martyr Church and School and raised four children. The family is growing. Three of the children are now married and a first grandchild is expected in September 2022. The new families live and work in Ankeny IA, Lincoln NE, and Los Angeles CA. The youngest Sullivan is 25 years old, single, and working in Houston TX.

John is a lector at 9:00 a.m. mass. The Sullivans are strong supporters of Catholic life and education including St. Stephens, Mount Michael Benedictine High School, Duchesne Academy, and the St. John Paul II Newman Center at UNO.

John is an investor in business and real estate, with prior careers in architecture/engineering/construction and media. Pat is a member of the behavioral health team at Children’s Hospital and Medical Center. She holds a doctoral degree and is a retired dean of health professions at Nebraska Methodist College. Pat also has formal education and clinical background in ultrasound and X-ray technology.

The couple enjoys travel and will accompany Fr. Dave Belt to Israel in 2023. Pat is an amateur photographer and recently mounted an exhibit of her work with 14 classmates at Omaha’s Hot Shops.

Marriage Advice from The Sullivans

In the 1980’s we bought a computer from a South Dakota company that packaged their product in boxes with a black and white dairy cow motif. Gateway Computer had a handy feature – a large green manual push-button on their monitors that said: “Go back.” So, when you managed to confuse the device, you could simply press the button to restore your data to a previously saved state. Shortly thereafter, we began using that shorthand in our marriage. At an impasse, either party can still say “Gateway Go-back” and achieve a semblance of normal relations, and a fresh start for both. Gateway computers are long gone, however “Gateway Go-back” lives on for us. Note – some people reboot differently than others. Find your “Gateway Go-back.” Say “I’m sorry.” Your relationship and marriage are far more important than whatever it was.

Brett & Katie Lutmer

Married in 2012

Hey, hey! We’re Brett and Katie, married since 2012. We met while in graduate school at Augustana in Sioux Falls. We enjoy being outside, traveling, attending sporting events, going out for a good meal or drink, and anything else that involves making memories with our two kids and other friends and family! Our advice for engaged couples would be to embrace this time before marriage and use it to get to know your partner even better without trying to change who they are. We look forward to meeting you!!

Michael & Kylie Rathje

Married in 2017

We are Kylie and Michael Rathje. We are both from Lincoln and have known each other since high school. We re-connected after college when we ran into each other on a bike trail one Saturday morning in the fall. We have been married since 2017 and have 3 beautiful kids.

Kylie is a teacher for Millard Public Schools. Michael works in IT for a local real estate and investing firm. When we are not working, we both love to run, fish, and be with our families.

We both have been members of the parish since 2017. Michael went through RCIA and was baptized at St. Stephens.

Nate & Becca Witt

Married in 2001

Hello, we are Nate and Becca Witt. We are Omaha natives and went to Burke High School together but didn't start dating until after college. We got married in May 2001 and have 5 children aged 19-11: Joe, Julia, Jude, Maria and Luke. Nate works at Mutual of Omaha in IT and Becca works part time at Nebraska Medicine with the Trauma team.

In our free time we enjoy traveling and watching our kids play soccer and football. We have fun exploring new places as a family and watching movies. Nate and I like to get out for a walk, dinner, or to meet up with friends and enjoy being involved at St Stephen the Martyr.

Nate grew up Catholic but Becca was raised Lutheran. We went through marriage preparation in the Catholic church and Becca went through RCIA a couple years later. She was confirmed in April of 2004 and Joe was born about 10 days later. We have had a wonderful journey together growing in our faith. We have learned alot and have developed a deep appreciation for Catholicism.

The best piece of advice we remember from our marriage preparation was "put God first". It is easy to get busy and focused on everything needing attention in daily life. Taking time each day to slow down and listen to God and each other has helped us focus on the most important things and kept us grounded in difficult times. We look forward to meeting you and sharing in your journey.