When Fr.Matt DeGance tells engaged couples they should refrain from having sex during the six-month waiting period before their wedding — even for those living together — there's a palpable tension in the silence."The majority of the reactions are kind of a quiet pensiveness," he says.
And "there are couples that kind of laugh it off or just sort of find it very dismissive, or they're dismissive in their approach."Even the Catholic Church knows it's countercultural in this day and age to believe couples should not have had sex before they say their "I do's." Public health stats show maybe 5%-10% of those getting married in the United States are virgins at the altar.JUST 5 MINUTES OF PRAYER COULD HAVE SURPRISING HEALTH BENEFITS, STUDY FINDSA priest at St.Helen's Church in Vero Beach, Florida, Fr.
Matt told Fox News the church will perform around 40-50 weddings this year.It's a huge uptick from previous years — probably, he says, due to the reported religious revival happening in the Catholic Church. "We're seeing record numbers of people entering the church.
We're also seeing numerous marriages."More young Catholics are seeking marriage in the church, as a broader religious revival appears to be drawing people back to their faith.(iStock)Seventy percent of engaged couples seeking pre-marital counseling are living together.
That might seem a huge number — but Fr.Matt says it's down from just five years ago. Then, he says, "I only had one couple that was not living together, and they were young.
And I wanted to make [them] almost like a rare animal zoo exhibit.Like, 'Look, look at them.
Don't touch them because they might bite you or something.' But now, we're getting more and more."The reason, he says, is because of the work the church is doing with a nonprofit organization that Fr.Matt's brother, JP DeGance, founded called Communio.
The brothers talked about their work together on a recent episode of "Lighthouse Faith" podcast.FAITH BEGINS AT THE DIN...