Thesis advisor: Kevin Mahoney / Eight African American Protestant Christian couples in a healthy relationship participated in a mixed methods study seeking to learn how married Protestant Christian couples use their faith dyadically to address stress and relational discord. Themes were generated from the qualitative data and reinforced or extended by a quantitative questionnaire. Findings revealed that sacred process is involved directly and indirectly in the interactional processes and relationship functions of couples with healthy relationships. The process contained pervasive active and receptive elements throughout their relationships during peaceful and stress-filled times. Findings also identify uses of silence and separation as frequent de-escalation strategies; faith-based strategies and faith-informed secular strategies for reconciliation; uses of the marital triad in a healthy marriage. Additionally undervalued community gendered politics were identified, as well as novel perspectives on cultural and community factors that may contribute to domestic violence. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2010. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.