Posts Tagged ‘support’
February: A Time to Celebrate Love and Marriage
It’s the month of love! Join in the celebration of National Marriage Week (Feb. 7-14) and World Marriage Day (Feb. 12). And check out these resources to help prepare for and strengthen your marriage.
The Catholic Marriage Wisdom Book
Several hundred brief and not-quite-so-brief quotations on marriage, family life and parenthood make up “The Catholic Marriage Wisdom Book” compiled by Donna Marie Cedar-Southworth. There is advice here – from Scripture, novelists, theologians, famous individuals and ordinary married couples — for making marriage work, along with reflections on the meaning of marriage and the personal growth of spouses.
For Your Marriage Launches New Radio and TV Spots
The For Your Marriage campaign has launched a new round of TV and radio public service announcements with the theme, “A good marriage goes a long way.” The campaign is a major activity of the U.S. Catholic Bishops’ priority to strengthen marriage.
Making “I Do” Work
Celebrating wedding days takes on a deeper meaning when one realizes that a couple’s success in married life affects not only themselves, but also their communities and all of society. Besides giving gifts and throwing showers, what can we all do to support married couples and encourage strong marriages?
Finding Help When Your Marriage Is in Trouble
Problems are part of every marriage. The U.S. Catholic Bishops have identified a variety of resources to help couples with marital difficulties–everything from skills-building programs and support groups to professional counseling.
Come Hell or High Water
As the wedding day approaches, Sara discusses handling unexpected obstacles in the planning process (both large and small) and what really matters in the end.
How to Deepen Empathy in Your Marriage: Three Key Skills
(From “Thriving Marriages” by John Yzaguirre, Ph.D., and Claire Frazier-Yzaguirre, M.Div., M.F.T, New City Press, 2004. http://www.thrivingfamilies.com/) It’s easy to fall into the trap of taking each other for granted or just putting up with each other. One husband described this bluntly: “When I get home my dog is the only one who seems excited to [...]
New Year’s Resolutions for Couples
What can you do for your marriage in 2011? Start with something small but meaningful. Here are a few ideas.
Help Your Marriage to Thrive
Why do some marriages–even long-term marriages–fail, while others grow and flourish? Marriage expert Susan Vogt offers some ideas for helping your marriage to thrive.
The Marriage Garden
Marriages, like gardens, flourish when they are tended with care – watered, weeded and nurtured, according to the co-authors of “The Marriage Garden.” Read their advice for making your marital garden grow.
Marriage Makes a Difference
The Christian Family Movement has developed a new resource, excellent for groups, based on CFM’s proven “Observe, Judge, Act” model.
The Best Wedding Gift? Your Ongoing Support
If you’re planning to attend a wedding, you’ll probably hear a challenge to support the bride and groom during the critical early years of marriage. But, how, practically, can you do this? We offer a few suggestions.
Marriage Rx
All relationships need help from time to time. Each article in Marriage Rx will discuss the symptoms of a common but perplexing problem and offer a prescription to keep your marriage healthy. The Empty Nest, by Judy Clark Resolving Differences, by Kathy Beirne Parenting Teens, by Lynda Madison Career Conflicts, by Susan Vogt Remarriage, by [...]
Domestic Violence
What’s the difference between normal conflict and domestic violence? Conflict is part of every intimate relationship–that’s why conflict resolution skills are important. Domestic violence, however, has no place in a healthy relationship, whether the couple is dating, engaged, married or cohabiting. What is domestic violence? Domestic violence is any kind of behavior that a person [...]
Infertility
In the book of Genesis, we find God’s first commandment to humankind: “Be fruitful and multiply. . .” (Genesis 1:28) It appears that God infused this commandment to procreate into the fiber of our beings. It seems to be written in our hearts, dreamed of in our minds, ached for in our bodies, and yearned [...]
Illness
Many kinds of illness- physical, mental and emotional- can impact a marriage. They range from the occasional cold, to an unexpected accident, to chronic or terminal illness. Here we consider long term or chronic illnesses, and serious conditions such as cancer, loss of a limb, diabetes, and life- altering disabilities. All of these test the [...]
Support for Troubled Marriages
Retrouvaille A weekend experience combined with a series of 6-12 post-weekend sessions over three months. The main emphasis of the program is on communication in marriage between husband and wife. There are neither group dynamics nor group discussion on the weekend. 800-470-2230 The Third Option An ongoing group program for marriages. It combines 14 unique [...]
Marriage Quizzes
Try these fun, non-scientific quizzes to open lines of communication about important issues. Topics include faith, compatibility, and romance.
Find Catholic Marriage Info Near You
Click your state on the below US map to find the Family Life Office in your (arch)diocese. For states with multiple dioceses, select the region of the state in which you live. Other Dioceses Outside of Map: Military Services St. Thomas, VI Eparchies and Archeparchies of Eastern Catholic Churches
Marriage Programs
There are many marriage enrichment programs for couples who want to strengthen and deepen their marriages. So many, in fact, that it may be hard to know what will fit you best.
Books and Articles
There are thousands of books and resources designed to support your marriage. Following is a sample of current and classic ones to get you started.
Counseling
Your marriage and family relationships are your deepest and most profound treasures. Yet, like a precious metal that becomes tarnished, your cherished relationships can sometimes become lackluster and dull.
Grieving With Grace
A few months after her husband’s death, Dolores Leckey went to dinner with a small group of women, all of whom, except one, were single. “I noticed how I still feel very married,” she wrote afterward in her journal. She added, “At some point in a long marriage we become aware of something like fusion.”
Let Me Sow Light
Amy Viets and Bernadette Stankard write from their personal experience of living with husbands who suffer from depression. They share other husbands’ and wives’ experiences of living with a depressed spouse. A chapter titled “You’re Not Alone” reviews avenues of support. A section on the lifeline of community relates one man’s experience of unburdening himself [...]
