Family Life Ministries
Family life covers so many aspects of all people’s lives. Marriage, marriage preparation, parenting, single life, empty nesters, adoption, being widowed, dying and death, and the list goes on. There are also a lot of connections between family life and social justice, catechesis, vocations, and every other aspect of our Catholic heritage. This page is dedicated to providing information about ministries that are active in the Diocese of Tucson and to providing information that relates to the topics above.
Links are provided solely for the user’s convenience. The Diocese of Tucson assumes no responsibility for these websites, their content, or their sponsoring organizations.
Marriage Preparation Resources
Congratulations on your decision to get married! As you move forward through the next few months or years, many things will demand your attention – reception plans, in-law requests, fiancé(e) requests, financial questions and how your relationship will change with your future spouse as you move through engagement and into marriage. One person asked me this as I was going through this process:
“The wedding and reception last one day, the marriage lasts a lifetime. Which should you focus most of your energy on?”
With that in mind, your first call should be to the pastor of the parish you want to get married at. Most pastors are used to working long distance with couples. Most will require at least one face to face meeting. Most will ask you to go through a marriage preparation program, either at their parish, or in the parish/diocese you are currently living in. Once you find out what type of program the pastor (at the church you will be married at) wants you to attend, talk to the pastor at the church you are attending here. Find out what programs are offered. If the church you are attending here does not offer what is required, look to neighboring parishes, or call the diocese for information. In the Diocese of Tucson, nearly all marriage prep is handled by individual parishes, who will welcome all seeking marriage preparation into their programs. The one exception is Engaged Encounter, which is a movement within the diocese.
Engaged Encounter: http://www.engagedencounter.org/default.asp
Catholic Engaged Encounter is a weekend retreat away with other engaged couples with plenty of time alone together to plan for a sacramental marriage. It is designed to give couples planning marriage the opportunity to dialogue honestly and intensively about their prospective lives together-- their strengths and weaknesses, desires, ambitions, goals, their attitudes about money, sex, children, family, their role in the church and society--in a face to face way.
Here are a few options that are used at various parishes in our Diocese:
FOCCUS: www.foccusinc.com
Facilitating Open Couple Communication, Understanding, & Study. This is a Marriage Preparation program used by some parishes. Each partner takes a 156-189 question survey and then marriage preparation is customized to the needs of the couple.
For Better & For Ever: http://www.marriagepreparation.com/
A marriage preparation program which continues through the first year(s) of marriage covering: Family of Origin, Finances & Career Planning, Marital Communication, Interfaith Marriage, Parenting, Couples who are living together, Blended Families, Prayer, Marital Spirituality, …
Marriage Resources
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Catholic Marriage!
For Every Couple | Preparing for Your Marriage | Caring for Your Marriage
Marriage Encounter: http://www.wwme.org/
Any married couple who desires a richer, fuller life together. A marriage can never be too good. Marriage Encounter is designed to deepen and enrich the joys a couple share together, whether they have been married for only a short time, or for many years. Priests and other religious are also welcome and encouraged to attend!
The Marriage Encounter Weekend dates for 2010 are May 21-23 and October 22-24.
For information or to register, please call or email:
Chris and Christina Kinney, (520) 574-7822 or darnhapy@cox.net.
Retrouvaille http://www.helpourmarriage.com/pages.php?page=1
The program offers tools needed to rediscover a loving marriage relationship. Thousands of couples headed for cold, unloving relationships or divorce have successfully overcome their marriage problems by attending the program.
Retrouvaille is a program for couples who feel bored, frustrated, or angry in their marriage. Some experience distance or coldness and simply shut down. Others experience conflict and arguments in their relationship. Most don’t know how to change the situation or even communicate with their spouse about it. This program has helped thousands of couples experiencing marital difficulty at all levels including minor disillusionment and deep misery. For confidential information about the program or to register for the program, please contact Albert and Bertha Fresquez at 520-883-2747 (home), 520-403-6852 (cell) or abfresquez@gmail.com.
10 Great Dates www.marriagealive.com
Combining fun dates and marriage education skills, this video curriculum gives couples time-out to build their marriage and enrich their relationship. You will also need the book, “10 Great Dates to Energize your Marriage.”
REFOCCUS -http://www.foccusinc.com/sections/foccus_content.asp?PKID=17
A 5 packet survey based program for couples who want to re-focus on their marriage and need some direction and skill building to this. The 5 topics are 1) Marriage as a process 2) Intimacy, 3) Compatibility, 4) Communication, and 5) Commitment.
Parenting
Parents Role – Even Teenagers Do Listen
It’s important information to share with parents. While the National Directory for Catechesis calls them the “primary educators of their children,” a better term might be “primary influencers.” The latest studies don’t make parenting any easier but it does prove the importance of setting boundaries.
Writing for USA Today, Kim Painter used several studies including the latest on media use by the Kaiser Family Foundation
(http://www.kff.org/entmedia/mh012010pkg.cfm).
She discovered kyds who had limits on being “plugged in” for three hours or less were better in a variety of ways. Teens with a bedtime of 10:00pm or earlier were less likely to be depressed or consider suicide. Teen drivers whose parents set and enforced rules were less likely to speed,
get in crashes, drink and drive, and use cell phones while driving. In fact “Teens whose parents set rules also smoke less, delay sex and do better in school.” She also offers some help for parents who desire to set limits.
Tips on limiting screen time – http://www.commonsensemedia.org/advice-for-parents
Tips on teen safe driving - http://www.research.chop.edu/programs/youngdriver
Help teens get more sleep - http://www.sleepeducation.com/Topic.aspx?id=53
Kim’s article can be found at Your Health
(http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/painter/2010-02-08-yourhealth08_ST_N.htm)