Bishop's Appeal 2008

Touching the Lives of Families

By Pat Mitchell Perry

Director of Family Ministries

The Diocesan Office of Family Ministries provides a multitude of ministries which touch all ages in the family. Funding from the Bishop's Appeal allows Family Ministries to provide necessary services to families by offering educational programs, hosting special events and providing important resources designed to promote a Catholic vision that supports family life.

Active parenting classes are available for parents of young children and, also, for parents of teenagers. These workshops answer a need for parent education due to our changing world. The diocese offers these classes to assist adults in making everyday decisions in parenting to combat problems with their own children, children in the church and classrooms as well as for those who are guardians of children. The sessions are co-sponsored by Family Ministries and Youth Ministries.

The Sponsor Couple Program is offered for married couples to meet at the parish level with those preparing for marriage. This program matches a married couple in the same parish with a couple preparing to marry. The couples work together to discuss the realities and ideals of a Catholic marriage.

Marriage Preparation Classes are held monthly to help couples planning for married life to understand the teachings of the Catholic Church on marriage. This program is offered in English and in Spanish. The English couples work with their priest or deacon in three to five sessions as well as the diocesan class. Spanish couples, who do not speak English, must complete five sessions provided by the diocesan office. Father Carlos Paniagua-Monroy works to provide this ministry for the Hispanic community. There is also assistance for those who are Polish and Vietnamese. The Beginning Anew session is designed for couples planning a new marriage, if one or both have previously been married. Topics covered during these sessions include the sacramentality of marriage, intimacy, sexuality, communication, finances and family life.

World Wide Marriage Encounter (WWME) and Marriage Enrichment Weekends offer couples the chance to change the cycle of neglecting their promise to each other and to God. The weekends help couples to enrich the marriage they have and bring a real transformation process as the couples learn to see one another not just as a couple but as a little church refocusing on their oneness with God.

Retrovaille is a diocesan supported ministry for couples who are experiencing trouble in their marriage. Retrovaille means "to rediscover" and this is what happens during the weekend. The weekend is followed by six follow-up sessions to increase communication and build trust.

Windows is for anyone at any age dealing with any kind of loss. The program offers clear and concise guidance through the stages of grief and how to deal with loss.

The diocese also offers help for those dealing with an abortion or anyone who has been affected by an abortion. Project Rachel and Rachel's Vineyard are both designed to help people experience the mercy and compassion of God. It is also an opportunity to surface and release repressed feelings of anger, shame, guilt and grief. The weekend is designed to help one's soul find a voice and transform pain into love and hope.

Family Ministries provides the materials to each parish for Respect Life Weekend in October and participates in the Memphis Life Chain which is held each year to help combat abortion and support the choice of life.

Parenting for Peace and Justice teaches families to live in harmony with others. There are several very special resources for parishes and families to use including Called To Peace, Celebrating Racial Diversity, Families Creating A Circle of Peace, and Called To Something New: A People's Peace Initiative. These resources will help families take a stand for peace and justice in an increasingly violent world.

The annual Diocesan Couples Anniversary Celebration is for those married twenty five, fifty, and fifty plus years. The celebration is a time for the diocese to say thank you to the many couples who have chosen to live their lives together. The special celebration for 2008 will be celebrated by Bishop J. Terry Steib, S.V.D. at noon Mass on Saturday, September 20 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The diocese also celebrates all marriages during the second weekend of February with World Marriage Day Weekend. The dates for 2009 are February 7-8. During this weekend, all married couples are invited to renew their vows during the regular Sunday masses. The information for these celebrations is sent to all parishes.

There is a wealth of resources available in the Diocesan Resource Library to help families to enrich their daily lives.

The materials can be checked out of the library for two weeks at a time and can be re-checked if the material is needed longer. Make a visit to the library, which is located at The Catholic Center, or visit www.cdom.org and click on Diocesan Resource Library.

With prayer and generous donations through the Bishop's Appeal, the Office of Family Ministries will be able to continue to reach families at every stage of life.

For more information about the Office of Family Ministries in the Diocese of Memphis please call Pat Mitchell Perry at 901-722-4735.

For more information about the 2008 Bishop's Appeal, call 901-373-1208 or visit www.cdom.org.