Marriage or Matrimony?

People call a lot of relationships ‘marriage’. Everything from cohabitation (common law marriage) to civil contracts (secular marriage) to the Judeo-Christian concept of covenant. In a Christian marriage there is a desire for the marriage to be open to the Lord and a willingness to look to scripture and the Church community for direction. If…

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Called to Greatness

The word ‘vocation’ comes from the Latin ‘vocare’ which means ‘to call’. Our primary vocation, the one we all share, is the vocation to holiness. We are called to follow Christ and be in relationship with him. From the Pope to a newborn – it is the same call and equally compelling. A secondary vocation…

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What’s in a vow?

A few years ago we had a ‘date night’ at West Side Story. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening even though we had seen it before in a youth group version. This time, all the performers completed the show intact, unlike the youth group which had to transport one of its members to the hospital with…

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Catholic Courtship Summit 2022

Do you have a family member or friend that is currently in a serious dating relationship, and you desire to help them discern with more confidence?  If so, please invite them to join us for FREE at the Catholic Courtship Summit  Taking place from 18-20 August 2022.  The Catholic Courtship Summit is targeted for young adult…

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#1 Marriage as a Mission

What does it mean to make ‘marriage our mission’? With our guest, Philipa Caulfield, we break it down and explore how we’ve done it and why we need it. Guest: Philipa Caulfield, with her husband Luke, are SmartLoving super-sponsors. They’ve been accompanying engaged couples for over ten years and have featured in some of the…

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Something worth dying for – Saint Valentine’s Day

On February 14 every year, couples around the world celebrate one of the heroes of Catholic history.   As the story goes, Valentine was a Roman priest who married young couples in secret despite the decree of Emperor Claudius II forbidding all weddings. The emperor did this to more readily recruit young, unattached men into his armies. Valentine was discovered, arrested and eventually executed.  St Valentine didn’t officiate secret weddings simply out of compassion for local, love-struck…

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For couples, every day is ‘Passion Sunday’

A friend gave us a copy of a classic book the other day they had found in a street market: The Catholic Marriage Manual, by Rev George A. Kelly, published 1958. It’s in excellent condition and has that old-book smell acquired from collecting dust on a bookshelf for sixty years. In keeping with our perception…

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The Grace-Filled Couple

The Grace-filled Couple

Religious practice is often a point of difference for couples, especially if they each come from a different religious tradition. Regrettably, couples frequently respond by making spirituality a taboo topic. Even for couples of the same faith, sharing their spiritual life is a challenge. In our marriage, one of us expresses their spirituality in a…

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