Three Practices for a Lasting Marriage

By Francine & Byron Pirola | May 1, 2026 |

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 couples walk down the aisle quietly wondering whether they’ll beat the odds.   The statistics are sobering – somewhere between 30 and 50 percent of marriages in Western countries will end in divorce.…

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Long Live the Ten-Second Kiss

By Francine & Byron Pirola | April 4, 2025 |

In a world that pulls couples apart, a simple ten-second kiss IS a small act of love with big rewards.  Regular readers of SmartLoving will be familiar with the Connect Kiss – a daily connection ritual we promote to couples. It consists of a smoochy kiss that lasts at least ten seconds.  We recommend it…

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Movie Marriages

By Francine & Byron Pirola | March 13, 2014 |
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Originally posted in the Catholic Leader, March 14, 2014 Can movie marriages help real life couples with their relationships? A recent study in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology has unwittingly unearthed some very good news for couples.The study was aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of two popular skill-based marriage programs for newlyweds: CARE…

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