Marriage Educators
Sexual Integrity in a Messed-up World
Last month we convened a national symposium to explore how we, as a church community, might pastorally respond more effectively to those impacted by pornography. While not a fun topic, it is an important one. Important for three reasons. Firstly, pornography usage has been normalised and is now endemic, and not just among men, or…
Read MoreFive Strategies to Improve your Marriage
Is it possible to improve a troubled marriage without the cooperation of our spouse? Read on for our top five strategies to improve your marriage. A lot of people feel trapped in a dissatisfying or troubled marriage. They feel powerless to ‘fix’ it because their spouse refuses to join them in counselling or a marriage…
Read More#11 Marriage Catechumenate
In this episode we will discuss the Marriage Catechumenate I will be interviewing SmartLoving Director Francine Pirola about this concept and vision from Pope Francis. Francine has done a lot of reading and research into this as given two presentations recently to clergy across Australia so in this episode we will explore what it would…
Read MoreNatural Fertility
True love cannot be contained; it always gives life in some form, bursting forth from the couple with irrepressible urgency. For most couples, this life-giving impulse will result in the biological birth of a child. For others, it will be expressed in a shared effort to generously give of their time and talents to others.…
Read MoreA Sacramental Season
It’s ‘Sacrament Season’ in Australia: children are busily preparing to make their first Confession, first Holy Communion or Confirmation. Meanwhile, weddings are playing catch up following months of pandemic restrictions. A life-long encounter As parents, we had high ambitions for the sacramental preparation of our children. Good intentions, however, struggled against the time drought of…
Read MoreMarriage Seminar – Talk Presentation
The Marriage Seminar – Talk Presentation Preparing and delivering a Marriage Seminar talk Mentality The mentality that presenting couples have in approaching how they give their talks is vital in communicating the essence of the message of Celebrate Love. This attitude needs to one of humility and service. This is not about being ‘in the…
Read MoreMarriage Seminar – Spiritual Preparation
There is always lots to do at the last minute – checking talks, packing your things, getting children and the bigger kids organised. While the practical preparation is important, so too is your spiritual preparation. Before the Seminar. A couple of things we encourage presenting couples to do before a seminar is to ensure you don’t…
Read MoreMentoring – Spiritual Preparation
There is always lots to do at the last minute – checking talks, organising refreshments, getting children and the bigger kids organised. While the practical preparation is important, so too is your spiritual preparation. Couple-to-Couple Mentoring/Small Group Ensure you don’t neglect your Skin-to-Skin*. This is so important to your couple unity. Forget about the logistics and…
Read MoreMentoring – Session Preparation #1
One of the advantages of Mentoring in the home is that the Mentors don’t need to be skilled presenters. In fact, the desired atmosphere is one of friendly and personal hospitality. Above all else, Mentors need to be relatable and approachable. Professionalism and heavy theology can actually be a barrier to building rapport with the…
Read MoreGroup Adaptations
While the course is designed for the mentoring format, it has been successfully adapted for small home groups and even larger parish groups. Groups offer the opportunity for couples to exchange ideas though it should be noted that this is a secondary agenda; the primary purpose of the course is to deepen the couple’s intimacy…
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