Blog
Practical wisdom, faith-filled insights, and real-world relationship advice for couples at every stage. Our blog offers practical tools and Catholic perspectives to help you love smarter. Explore topics including communication, fertility, forgiveness, spirituality, parenting, and more — authored by Francine & Byron Pirola and other guest contributers.
Sleeping our way to a better marriage
Sleep deprivation is a recognised means of torture. But what about when the cause is one of our children? In this post we explore how…
Newly Married and Already at Risk
Why do some marriages unravel within a decade? We have a personal stake in the question – three of our own children are newly…
The Art of Apology
· Have you ever experienced the situation when someone has apologised but, while the words were said it lacked something, making it difficult for you…
When Love Feels Impossible: Choose It Anyway
· It’s at this crossroad that we have a choice – protest the situation or lean into our vows and choose love. This was the theme…
The Passion Principle
One of the great delights of running marriage enrichment retreats for couples, is hearing all the amazing love stories. From beginning to end,…
Can we change the subject, please?
One of the hardest conversations to have as a couple, is one about our sex life. Yet lovemaking is central to the Sacrament of…
On Trend with Unbusy
Busyness has become a bit of a status symbol in our culture. Yet extreme busyness is not only detrimental to our inner life, it is…
For richer or poorer – Balancing the Wedding Budget
More couples are starting out in marriage with financial debt – student loans, mortgages and credit debt. The last thing they need is wedding debt. …
Spiritual Mothers
It’s no mistake that the modern celebration of Mothers’ Day occurs in May – the month of Mary. Our heavenly mother is the model of…
Three Practices for a Lasting Marriage
The science confirms what the Church has taught all along We live in an age of marital pessimism. Divorce has touched almost every family, and many…
Time, Energy, Attention — Three Words Every Marriage Needs
I recently had a delightful and thought-provoking meeting with Fr. Patrick Toohey from the Catholic Archdiocese of Perth. During it he asked me what do I thought all relationships require? The answer? An acronym: T.E.A. which stands for: Time,…
Is ‘Grace Alone’ Enough for Marriage?
What YOUCAT Love Forever Says About the Real Work of Marriage Recently a young man in the SmartLoving Engaged course asked for a refund. The reason? He felt the practical relationship skills…
Bringing Mercy to your Marriage
It’s Divine Mercy Sunday this week, one of our favourite feasts. Inspired by the writings of St Faustina, a Polish visionary of the 20th century,…
When Marriages Rise from the Dead
The power of forgiveness can bring even the most broken marriage back to life Good Friday confronts us with something as remarkable: an innocent man,…
Seven Habits of Effective Communicators
Almost everyone agrees that communication – good communication – is essential to successful relationships. But what constitutes ‘good’ communication? The answer to that all depends…