Our parish supports a Marriage Encounter group as part of our Family Life Ministry. Marriage Encounter is a worldwide movement in the Church aimed at enriching marriages. Couples (whether newlyweds or long-married) come together to learn communication techniques and deepen their love and sacramental bond. In our parish, we have a handful of couples who have experienced a Marriage Encounter Weekend and now meet periodically to continue the fellowship. They often give testimony to other couples about how important it is to prioritize one’s spouse and pray together.
In addition to Marriage Encounter, our Family Life Ministry organizes couples’ seminars and even fun events like an annual “Couples Dinner” around St. Valentine’s Day, where couples can have a date night with a spiritual twist (including renewal of vows or a talk by a priest on marital spirituality). We also encourage the Christian Family Movement (CFM) style of small groups where a few couples meet in each other’s homes monthly to discuss family topics and support each other.
For those in irregular situations or struggling marriages, the Family Life team provides a non-judgmental space to seek advice. They work closely with the priests to encourage convalidation of marriages (church blessings) for those only civilly married, and counsel those facing challenges like infidelity, infertility, etc., referring to professional counselors when needed.
Our focus is that strong families build a strong Church. In a context where many families face pressures (economic migration, mixed marriages or religious differences, polygamy in culture, etc.), the Family Life Ministry tries to help couples navigate these in fidelity to Christ. They are implementing parts of Strategic Plan SI#4: e.g., increasing catechesis on the sanctity of life and organizing marriage counseling forums to address issues of divorce, cohabitation, same-sex ideologies, etc., from a Catholic perspective of truth in charity.
(Coordinators: Mr. & Mrs. [Name], a long-married couple; Chaplain: Fr. Sossy, SJ)