Monday, February 18, 2008

For Your Marriage

In the NATIONAL PASTORAL INITIATIVE ON MARRIAGE the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops call to our attention the meaning and value of marriage. From the most recent Zenit.org newsletter:

WASHINGTON, D.C., FEB. 18, 2008 (Zenit.org).- Seven in 10 U.S. Catholics describe themselves as at least "somewhat familiar" with Church teaching on marriage, and about one-third say they are "very familiar."

This is one of the statistics provided by a survey from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, and released by the U.S. bishops last week.

In a statement responding to the research, Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, chairman of the bishops' Subcommittee on Marriage and Family Life, said the findings paint "a mixed picture" and that "it gives us reasons to be grateful and hopeful. It also raises concerns and presents us with challenges."

As a result of this study and in recognition of a great need for support not only in preparation of marriage but throughout a marriage, a new website has been launched.

I am pleased to direct you to the new FOR YOUR MARRIAGE website. Important prenuptial topics included are: Must Have Conversations and Readiness for Marriage . Issues Facing Couples cover a variety of topics including: Infidelity, Addictions, Career Decisions, Parenting, Intimacy, and Domestic Violence. The site covers how to care for your marriage and provides real-life stories from married couples.

Please check out the information at the For Your Marriage site and the information provided at USCCB and let me know what you think. Let us all pray for all marriages and that the couples place their faith in Jesus at the very center of their relationships.

UPDATE 2/26/08

It has been brought to my attention that there are some websites which are linked from the For Your Marriage website that have questionable doctrinal integrity. If you are familiar with the website Catholic Culture, you understand that they review websites based upon the adherence to the Deposit of Faith. According to the person who contacted me, some of the links provided were given very poor reviews by the Catholic Culture site. I have asked Catholic Culture to please review the For Your Marriage website. If I hear anything, I will update. It would not hurt for others to ask for a review be conducted of the site and may expedite the process.

UPDATE 4/24/08

I have checked the Catholic Culture site and there is still no review of the website in question.

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