St Valentine’s Day 2015

This post is reposted from The Australian Catholic Marriage & Family Council In 2010, the Bishops Commission for Pastoral Life launched the St Valentine’s Day initiative. We are delighted to offer you our 2015 edition which continues our ongoing desire to use the innate joyfulness of the feast of St Valentine to promote and affirm…

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The Wisdom of a Prenup??!

Recently, we’ve been reflecting on prenuptial agreements and we think there’s some merit to them. Gasp! Surely, they can’t be serious you think. Can they really be suggesting something that so conspicuously undermines the sacred meaning of Catholic marriage? Actually we are, but not the stereotypical kind of prenuptial agreement between a wealthy aging male…

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Five Ways To Help A Struggling Marriage

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We’ve all been in that situation. A friend or relative confides in us that they are having some marriage trouble. We want to help but knowing what to do that is genuinely helpful is tricky. Here are a few tips to keep in mind. Use your best listening skills: give your full attention, validate the…

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24/7 Connected

Our young adult son is in a blue funk. He and his flatmates have been unable to get the internet connected to their new place for over 4 weeks. They’ve all maxed out their mobile phone plans and to hear them talk you would think it was a major offence against their human rights. We…

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Pope Francis Marrying Sinners Is No Surprise

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Last month Pope Francis seemed to shock the world by marrying twenty couples in a ceremony at St Peter’s Basilica. Aside from the fact that Popes don’t get the opportunity to preside at weddings all that often, what provided the real shock value was that amongst the couples, some had cohabited, one had a child…

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Why Marriages Fail

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Why Marriages Fail:  And How to Make Sure Yours Doesn’t Allan and Jen asked me to do some marriage preparation counseling with them. Both Catholics, and both from divorced homes, they wanted to know what it takes to “make it.” As Jen explained to me in our first conversation, “Allan and I love each other,…

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Be Not Afraid: Advice for the New Husband

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William called our radio program with a question.             “I’m getting married next month.  I love Bethany, my fiancée, so much, and I can’t believe how blessed I am that she said, ‘yes’  but as the wedding is getting closer, I’m having a hard time sleeping at night.  It’s not like I’m getting cold feet. …

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When Desires Don’t Match

When couples marry they rightly expect that there will be a willing participation in a shared life together across a range of activities including sexual intimacy, intimate conversation and parenting for example. But what happens when there is a difference in the desire for the amount or style of one or more of these activities?…

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