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Please see below for additional resources organized by topic.

Antipornography

Covenant Eyes / Safe Haven Sunday

On March 11-12, 2023, the Archdiocese of New York will celebrate Safe Haven Sunday. Safe Haven Sunday is an annual weekend set aside by dioceses and parishes to directly address the harms of pornography.

Throughout the country, arch/dioceses and parishes are able to provide teaching and resources that will support and protect individuals, marriages and families in making all homes a safe haven. This awareness day will give us an opportunity to address the harmfulness of pornography in marriages, families, and culture as a whole, while providing helpful resources to both individuals and families. Click here to download the flyer and learn more.

Our partners at Covenant Eyes will provide us with the necessary resources. At Covenant Eyes, we care about you and those you serve. We have crafted resources that specifically address particular needs for the people in your church. Learn more about this initiative at https://learn.covenanteyes.com/churches/

Helpful Resources

The following websites provide information, help and guidance on resisting pornography. Please note, they are not affiliated with the Family Life office. We are not responsible for nor do we endorse their policies, views, product or services nor the content of their materials or websites.

Catholic Websites

Christian Websites

Non-Religious-Affiliated Websites

Internet filters, Accountability Software and Media Safety

Men’s Groups

Self-Help Groups

Bishops’ Statements 

Articles

Chastity

Chastity 

If you are a parent or ministry leader looking for helpful resources, programs or continuing education opportunities, Family Honor, Inc., is a national organization that promotes a family-centered Catholic approach to chastity education. Their extensive website offers access to timely articles, research and parent and teen tips on topics relating to chastity, family life, marriage and more, along with information about their parent-child programs, college-level online courses, periodic special events, national conferences and free webinars. You can also sign up for their monthly e-newsletter. For more information, visit Family Honor online or call them at 803-929-0858.

Covenant Eyes

Internet Accountability and Filtering can help you fine-tune your approach to protecting your kids online. Receive reports that show how your kids use the internet to spark good discussions. Choose when and how long kids can be online, block mature websites and create specific lists of sites to be blocked. What we do online impacts our lives offline. Learn more.

Frequently Asked Questions 

What is chastity?
“The Church calls all to lead “a chaste life in keeping with their particular states in life” (CCC, no 2348), a striving that is performed deliberately, maturely, happily, and for the sake of the Kingdom. It is a surrendering of all genital activity in thought, word, and deed, alone, or with others, hetero-or-homo, honestly confronting any inclinations, drives, or fantasies that threaten the wholesome, healthy, realistic purity mirrored by Jesus and expected by His Church of her people.” –Called To Be Holy by Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Archdiocese of New York (2005).

Is chastity just for nuns and priests?
Nope! All baptized Christians are called to Chastity. (Surprising, isn’t it?) Check it out in the catechism, paragraph 2348.

What am I saying when I choose chastity?
We are bombarded with messages that tell us what we are saying NO to when we choose to live a chaste life — what we are missing out on. But we’re also saying YES to something: dignity of and the real meaning of love. Click here to discover what you are saying yes to by living a chaste life along with some practical advice on how to live a chaste life now!

Sex Education Mandate 

In August 2011, the Department of Education of the City of New York announced that all public school students would be required to attend sex education classes. The archdiocese strongly opposes this decision, and has urged school officials to offer abstinence education instead.

For more, read this article by Ed Mechmann, Director of Public Policy, and this article from Catholic New York.

You can also take action:

  • Learn your rights. For information about the rights of parents to inspect instructional materials and opt their children out of these classes, click here.  
  • Decide if to opt-out. For sample opt-out letters to your school, click here (Espanól).
Domestic Violence Awareness

National Domestic Violence Hotline – (1-800-799-SAFE)

Giving Hope to Survivors of Domestic Violence. Counselors are available to take your call through a toll free, 24/7 hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

Other resources: 

  • Loveisrespect | empowering youth to end dating abuse: This site offers articles, quiz and answers to teens’ questions about recognizing and dealing with violence or abuse.
  • One Love App: An app that to assess the safety of your relationship, creates a usable action plan, helps women who are facing decisional conflict.
  • USCCB – Domestic Violence Page: Offers updated statistics, resources and information about domestic violence. Includes practical suggestions for dioceses and parishes based on actual experiences.

An Overview of Domestic Violence

  • Domestic violence is any kind of behavior that a person uses to control an intimate partner through fear and intimidation.
  • It includes physical, sexual, psychological, verbal and economic abuse.
  • Some examples of domestic abuse include battering, name-calling and insults, threats to kill or harm one’s partner or children, destruction of property, marital rape, and forced sterilization or abortion.

According to a U.S. government survey, 53 percent of victims were abused by a current or former girlfriend or boyfriend. One-third of all victims were abused by a spouse, while 14 percent said that the offender was an ex-spouse. Women ages 16 to 24 are nearly three times as vulnerable to attacks by intimate partners as those in other age groups; abuse victims between ages 35 and 49 run the highest risk of being killed.

While abuse cuts across all ethnic and economic backgrounds, some women face particular obstacles. Women of color may not view the criminal justice system as a source of help. Additionally, in some cultures women feel pressured to keep problems within the home and to keep the family together at all costs. Some fear that they will lose face in the community if they leave. Immigrant women often lack familiarity with the language and legal systems of this country. Their abusers may threaten them with deportation.

Women in rural communities may find themselves with fewer resources. The isolation imposed by distance and lack of transportation can aggravate their situation. Isolation can also be a factor for women who do not work outside the home. They may have less access to financial resources and to information about domestic violence. Women with disabilities and elderly women are also particularly vulnerable to violence.

Some who suffer from domestic violence are also victims of stalking, which includes following a person, making harassing phone calls, and vandalizing property. Eight percent of women in the United States have been stalked at some time in their lives, and more than one million are stalked annually. Stalking is a unique crime because stalkers are obsessed with controlling their victims’ actions and feelings. A victim can experience extreme stress, rage, depression, and an inability to trust anyone.

Violence against women in the home has serious repercussions for children. Over 50 percent of men who abuse their wives also beat their children. Children who grow up in violent homes are more likely to develop alcohol and drug addictions and to become abusers themselves. The stage is set for a cycle of violence that may continue from generation to generation.

Domestic violence is often shrouded in silence. People outside the family hesitate to interfere, even when they suspect abuse is occurring. Many times even extended family denies that abuse exists, out of loyalty to the abuser and in order to protect the image of the family. Some people still argue—mistakenly—that intervention by outside sources endangers the sanctity of the home. Yet abuse and assault are no less serious when they occur within a family. Even when domestic violence is reported, sometimes there are failures to protect victims adequately or to punish perpetrators.

Why Men Batter

Domestic violence is learned behavior. Men who batter learn to abuse through observation, experience, and reinforcement. They believe that they have a right to use violence; they are also rewarded, that is, their behavior gives them power and control over their partner.

Abusive men come from all economic classes, races, religions, and occupations. The batterer may be a “good provider” and a respected member of his church and community. While there is no one type, men who abuse share some common characteristics. They tend to be extremely jealous, possessive, and easily angered. A man may fly into a rage because his spouse called her mother too often or because she didn’t take the car in for servicing. Many try to isolate their partners by limiting their contact with family and friends.

Typically, abusive men deny that the abuse is happening, or they minimize it. They often blame their abusive behavior on someone or something other than themselves. They tell their partner, “You made me do this.”

Many abusive men hold a view of women as inferior. Their conversation and language reveal their attitude towards a woman’s place in society. Many believe that men are meant to dominate and control women.

Alcohol and drugs are often associated with domestic violence, but they do not cause it. An abusive man who drinks or uses drugs has two distinct problems: substance abuse and violence. Both must be treated. Additionally, there is an intersection between domestic violence and pornography. Porn perpetuates the destruction of human dignity, promotes physical and verbal aggression, and grooms the user to continue use. See more information about fighting pornography on our webpage here.

Why Women Stay

Women stay with men who abuse them primarily out of fear. Some fear that they will lose their children. Many believe that they cannot support themselves, much less their children.  They may also fear for their lives.

When the first violent act occurs, the woman is likely to be incredulous. She believes her abuser when he apologizes and promises that it will not happen again. When it does—repeatedly—many women believe that if they just act differently they can stop the abuse. They may be ashamed to admit that the man they love is terrorizing them. Some cannot admit or realize that they are battered women. Others have endured trauma and suffer from battered woman syndrome.

REMEMBER: Some battered women run a high risk of being killed when they leave their abuser or seek help from the legal system. It is important to be honest with women about the risks involved. If a woman decides to leave, she needs to have a safety plan, including the names and phone numbers of shelters and programs. Some victims may choose to stay at this time because it seems safer. Ultimately, abused women must make their own decisions about staying or leaving.

When I Call for Help: A Prayer

One source of healing we have in our lives as Christians is prayer. Psalm 55 may be an especially apt prayer for women who are dealing with abusive situations. With all of you we pray these verses:

Listen, God, to my prayer;

do not hide from my pleading;

hear me and give answer.

If an enemy had reviled me,

that I could bear;

If my foe had viewed me with contempt,

from that I could hide.

But it was you, my other self,

my comrade and friend,

You, whose company I enjoyed,

at whose side I walked

in procession in the house of God.

But I will call upon God,

and the Lord will save me.

At dusk, dawn, and noon

I will grieve and complain,

and my prayer will be heard.

(Ps 55:2-3, 13-15, 17-18)

The Church Responds to Domestic Violence – Scripture and Church Teachings

Religion can be either a resource or a roadblock for battered women. As a resource, it encourages women to resist mistreatment. As a roadblock, its misinterpretation can contribute to the victim’s self-blame and suffering and to the abuser’s rationalizations.

Abused women often say, “I can’t leave this relationship. The Bible says it would be wrong.” Abusive men often say, “The Bible says my wife should be submissive to me.” They take the biblical text and distort it to support their right to batter.

The USCCB bishops, condemn the use of the Bible to support abusive behavior in any form. Violence in any form is sinful. The USCCB bishops have called for a moral revolution to replace a culture of violence. The Catholic Church teaches that violence against another person in any form fails to treat that person as someone worthy of love. Instead, it treats the person as an object to be used. A correct reading of Scripture leads people to an understanding of the equal dignity of men and women and to relationships based on mutuality and love. Beginning with Genesis, Scripture teaches that women and men are created in God’s image. Jesus himself always respected the human dignity of women. Pope John Paul II reminds us that “Christ’s way of acting, the Gospel of his words and deeds, is a consistent protest against whatever offends the dignity of women.”

Men who abuse often use Ephesians 5:22, taken out of context, to justify their behavior, but the passage (v. 21-33) refers to the mutual submission of husband and wife out of love for Christ. Husbands should love their wives as they love their own body, as Christ loves the Church.

Men who batter also cite Scripture to insist that their victims forgive them (see, for example, Mt 6:9-15). A victim then feels guilty if she cannot do so. Forgiveness, however, does not mean forgetting the abuse or pretending that it did not happen. Neither is possible. Forgiveness is not permission to repeat the abuse. Rather, forgiveness means that the victim decides to let go of the experience and move on with greater insight and conviction not to tolerate abuse of any kind again.

An abused woman may see her suffering as just punishment for a past deed for which she feels guilty. She may try to explain suffering by saying that it is “God’s will” or “part of God’s plan for my life” or “God’s way of teaching me a lesson.” This image of a harsh, cruel God runs contrary to the biblical image of a kind, merciful, and loving God. Jesus went out of his way to help suffering women. Think of the woman with the hemorrhage (Mk 5:25-34) or the woman caught in adultery (Jn 8:1-11). God promises to be present to us in our suffering, even when it is unjust.

Finally, the Church emphasizes emphasize that no person is expected to stay in an abusive marriage. Some abused women believe that Church teaching on the permanence of marriage requires them to stay in an abusive relationship. They may hesitate to seek a separation or divorce. They may fear that they cannot re-marry in the Church. Violence and abuse, not divorce, break up a marriage. It is encouraged that encourage abused persons who have divorced to investigate the possibility of seeking an annulment. An annulment, which determines that the marriage bond is not valid, can frequently open the door to healing.

What You Can Do to Help

We offer the following practical suggestions for several audiences.

For Abused Women

  • Begin to believe that you are not alone and that help is available for you and your children.
  • Talk in confidence to someone you trust: a relative, friend, parish priest, deacon, religious sister or brother, or lay minister.
  • If you choose to stay in the situation, at least for now, set up a plan of action to ensure your safety. This includes hiding a car key, personal documents, and some money in a safe place and locating somewhere to go in an emergency.
  • Find out about resources in your area that offer help to battered women and their children. Simply google “domestic violence” in your  area to get local information. Your diocesan Catholic Charities office or family life office can help. Catholic Charities often has qualified counselors on staff and can provide emergency assistance and other kinds of help.
  • The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides crisis intervention and referrals to local service providers, 24/7, toll free. Call 800-799-SAFE (7233) or 800-787-3224 (TTY). For more information, go to www.thehotline.org. Hotline advocates are available to chat online, everyday, 7 AM-2 AM CST. In some communities, cell phones programmed to 911 are made available to abused women.

For Men Who Abuse

  • Admit that the abuse is your problem, not your partner’s. Begin to believe that you can change your behavior if you choose to do so.
  • Be willing to reach out for help. Talk to someone you trust who can help you evaluate the situation. Contact Catholic Charities or other church or community agencies for the name of a program for abusers.
  • Keep in mind that the Church is available to help you. Part of the mission Jesus entrusted to us is to offer healing when it is needed. Contact your parish.
  • Find alternative ways to act when you become frustrated or angry. Talk to other men who have overcome abusive behavior. Find out what they did and how they did it.
  •  If you are Spanish-speaking, investigate the book Sin Golpes by Christauria Welland.

For Pastors and Pastoral Staff

Make your parish a safe place where abused women and abusive men can come for help. Here are some specific suggestions:

  • Include information about domestic violence and local resources in parish bulletins and newsletters and on websites.
  • Place copies of  the USCCB brochure “When I Call For Help” and/or other information, including local telephone numbers for assistance about domestic violence, in the women’s restroom(s).
  • Keep an updated list of resources for abused women. This can be a project for the parish pastoral council, social justice committee, or women’s group.
  • Find a staff person or volunteer who is willing to receive in-depth training on domestic violence; ask this person to serve as a resource and to help educate others about abuse.
  • Provide training on domestic violence to all church ministers, including priests, deacons and lay ministers. When possible, provide opportunities for them to hear directly from victims of violence.
  • Join in the national observance of October as “Domestic Violence Awareness Month.” Dedicate at least one weekend that month to inform parishioners about domestic abuse. During that month, make available educational and training programs in order to sensitize men and women, girls and boys to the personal and social effects of violence in the family. Help them to see how psychological abuse may escalate over time. Teach them how to communicate without violence.
  • Catholics for Family Peace (http://www.catholicsforfamilypeace.org/) offers resources for promoting family peace, including an online training course, “Pastoral Responses to Domestic Violence.”

Use liturgies to draw attention to violence and abuse. Here are some specific suggestions:

  • In homilies, include a reference to domestic violence when appropriate. Just a mention of domestic violence lets abused women know that someone cares. Describe what abuse is so that women begin to recognize and name what is happening to them.
  • In parish reconciliation services, identify violence against women as a sin.
  • Include intercessions for victims of abuse, people who abuse people, and those who work with them.
  • If you suspect abuse, ask direct questions. Ask the woman if she is being hit or hurt at home. Carefully evaluate her response. Some women do not realize they are being abused, or they lie to protect their spouses. Be careful not to say anything that will bolster her belief that it is her fault and that she must change her behavior.
  • Have an action plan in place to follow if an abused woman calls on you for help. This includes knowing how and where to refer her for help. This will be easier if you have already established contact with local shelters and domestic violence agencies.
  • Include a discussion of domestic violence in marriage preparation sessions. If violence has already begun in the relationship, it will only escalate after marriage.
  • In baptismal preparation programs, be alert that the arrival of a child and its attendant stress may increase the risk of domestic violence. 
Family Life Church Documents

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Called to the Joy of Love:  National Pastoral Framework for Marriage and Family Life

Vatican Dicastery of Laity, Family and Life, Catechumenal Pathways for Married Life

Archdiocese of New York/USCCB, Called to the Joy of Love Pastoral Framework

For Your Marriage

Retreats for Married Couples

Pathway to a Blessed Marriage

A weekend retreat for married couples based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. This retreat offers you an opportunity to reflect together on God’s plan for your lives, renew your marital love and deepen your spiritual intimacy.

This retreat is offered by the Regnum Christi movement and includes reflections on marriage with opportunities for reconciliation, spiritual dialogue, couples time and adoration. The program is designed to give couples concrete tools to help deepen their understanding of themselves and their relationship, and the opportunity to have conversations that help a marriage flourish.

For more information on retreat weekends, please check the Regnum Christi website: www.regnumchristi.org/en/spiritual-experiences/.

Retrouvaille

Our office supports the efforts of Retrouvaille (“rediscovery”). Retrouvaille is a weekend program with follow-ups for couples whose marriage is in serious difficulty. If there is little or no meaningful communication, or if you are considering separation or divorce, we believe Retrouvaille can help.

The program offers the chance to rediscover yourself, your spouse and a loving relationship. It has a proven track record in saving marriages. It is a Catholic-based program open to people of all faiths.

Please check the Retrouvaille website for specific dates and locations: https://www.helpourmarriage.org/

Worldwide Marriage Encounter

Marriage Encounter is a positive, private experience for married couples who want to revitalize their marriage. The weekend is designed to enrich and deepen the joys a couple share together and is beneficial to couples of all ages and years married.

For more information, visit www.wwme.org or call 877-NYS-WWME ext. 3 (877-697-9963).

Papal Blessing

Couples may desire a Papal blessing to commemorate a special anniversary. Receiving this may take months following a request. For more information and to complete the application process, click here.

Additional Resources and Services

  • To find Counselors/Therapists, here are some options:
    • catholictherapists.com
    • The Archdiocese of New York has a Catholic Charities Parish Counseling Network that is a network of clinicians providing short‐term, low-cost counseling. To be eligible for services through this network, you need to be Catholic, and affiliated with an Archdiocese of New York parish. To request this service, either contact your parish priest/deacon, or you can contact the Family Life Office at [email protected] or 646-794-3188. For more information: http://www.cccsos.org/wp-content/uploads/Parish-Counseling-Network.pdf
    • Additionally, you may want to contact your priest or deacon.
  • Catholic Marriage Coaching: Looking to strengthen your marriage and learn to love one another with greater intimacy, joy and faith?  Catholic Marriage Coaching may be the right answer for you. For more information, or to ask about a free phone trial session, visit createdformission.com or contact Claudia Cortez directly at [email protected] or 845-642-4876.
  • Catholic Couple Checkup: This is an online tool designed to identify the unique relationship strengths and growth areas of dating, engaged, or married couples.  It is meant to be an enjoyable and easy way to take a closer look at a couple’s relationship, increase their relationship strengths, and above all, spark meaningful conversation. It is designed for any couple desiring to enrich their relationship. Find out more about Catholic Couple Checkup.
  • USCCB Marriage and Family Life Website: The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops offers many helpful resources for married couples, including the “For Your Marriage” website.  Here you can find practical help and advice – whether you’re seriously dating, engaged, or at any stage of married life. The homepage has daily marriage tips, book reviews, and blogs by engaged and married couples.
  • Wedding anniversary certificates (25, 50 and 75 years) are ordered for couples by their parish.  The parish directly emails the Special Projects and Events Office at [email protected].  Completed certificates will be mailed to the parish. Normally, three weeks advance notice is required.
Parenting

Lectio Divina for Parents
Contemplation of the Word with regard to the parents’ journey

Blessings
The following Blessings are available upon request. Rite for a Blessing of a Child in the Womb: This is a beautiful blessing for the woman and/or family awaiting a new life through birth or adoption. It can be easily incorporated into a Sunday Liturgy, with or without a reception following Mass. Each expectant mother receives an imposition of hands blessing and a medal. Blessing prayers, medals and rites, or suggested procedures are available from this office upon request. Blessing of Little Children: A beautiful and simple blessing ceremony for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers, this is often done at the start of a parish Education for Parenting program, or can stand alone. Ceremony script is available upon request. Mother’s Day Blessing: This hour-long program starts with a beautiful service, including a hymn, psalm, blessing and discussion. A wonderful way to support and celebrate mothers in their vocation.

Sexuality
LoveEd is an age-appropriate, gender-specific program designed to help parents teach both the theology and science of human sexuality in the context of God’s plan for love and life. Steeped in Church teaching [and science], it conveys not just the facts of life, but the meaning of life. Includes facilitator resources, parent video and materials, student videos, parent-child dialogue and lessons. Click here.

TeenFEMM and teenMEN offer an educational and human formation in sexuality for middle and high school boys and girls, and in particular, introduces teenagers to the dignity of their bodies and their fertility.  Mother/daughter programs open the conversation about how the fertility cycle works, how to monitor hormonal and other signs of health, a Comprehensive Facilitator Guide providing all needed to confidently implement the program and fertility in their monthly cycles, and why there are healthier alternatives to hormonal contraceptives when symptoms such as acne, painful periods, irregular cycles, etc., appear. https://femmhealth.org

CASAColumbia
CASACloumbia is a national science-based organization responding to the disease of addiction, sponsors a yearly Family Day – A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children,TM promoting parental engagement by organizing a family dinner. Join parents all across the country by visiting www.CASAFamilyDay.org

Additional Resources

  • The Strong Catholic Family Faith website has been created to assist parish and school leaders in finding the best and most relevant content and experiences for developing faith-filled Catholic families.  https://www.catholicfamilyfaith.org/general1.html
  • St. John Paul II gave us a wondrous view of the meaning of our existence, which is to love and be loved, made visible in our human bodies. TOBET “translates” this teaching for children, K-8; in a marriage prep program; and through seminars. Tobet.org.
  • Leading teens closer to Christ: lifeteen.com
  • Parent inventories help couples discover their relationship strengths as parents, as well as help identify issues that are threatening the vitality of the family that may need to be addressed. Prepare-Enrich.com
  • The Catholic Grandparents Association is a public association of the faithful whose goal is to assist grandparents in passing on the faith to their grandchildren. www.catholicgrandparentsassociation.org
  • Raised in Faith is a Catholic, multi-media single-parent ministry for women, 9 sessions www.raisedinfaith.com
Premarital/Relationship Inventories

We are excited to offer an online relationship inventory as part of the Archdiocese of New York Marriage and Convalidation/Re-Marriage Preparation Program. Please discuss which inventory to take with your priest/deacon as you will be prompted during your online registration to choose the Catholic Couple Checkup (CCC) or Prepare/Enrich (P/E) inventory.

Catholic Couple Checkup (CCC) and Prepare/Enrich (P/E) are in the same family of premarital [relationship] inventories. The main component of each program is an online survey you each complete in 30-45 minutes. The items you respond to are based on research and are intended to help you identify the unique strengths and potential growth areas of your relationship.

Catholic Couple Checkup is the “light” version of Prepare/Enrich and does not require a couple to meet with a trained facilitator (usually a priest/deacon) to go over the results. Couples complete the inventory individually online and then receive a 15-20 page report on their relationship. They can also download a free discussion guide, designed to help them learn relationship skills. Research has shown this process improves relationships by stimulating honest dialogue, increasing understanding, and empowering couples. It does not require facilitation, but it is recommended that you share it with your priest/deacon.

Prepare/Enrich is a comprehensive relationship inventory and skill-building program. It is built on a solid research foundation and significantly improves a couple’s relationship. Prepare/Enrich is custom-tailored to a couple’s relationship and provides exercises to build relationship skills. It requires facilitation. Your priest/deacon may direct you to choose Prepare/Enrich during your initial meeting.

Same-Sex Attraction – Courage

“The Church seeks to enable every person to live out the universal call to holiness. Persons with a homosexual inclination ought to receive every aid and encouragement to embrace this call personally and fully. This will unavoidably involve much struggle and self-mastery, for following Jesus always means following the way of the Cross…. The Sacraments of the Eucharist and of Penance are essential sources of consolation and aid on this path.”
– USCCB, Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination (2006), p. 13

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your selves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
– Matthew 11:28-30

Visit the Courage Website

Separated and Divorced

Additional Resources

  • St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation (SRNF): SRNF serves families facing challenging times. For anyone struggling due to a divorce/separation in their family, the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation for Freedom, Family, and Faith, offers programs, podcasts and videos, priestly consultations, and prayer intentions for individuals, couples and family members. Visit nonnatus.org for more information and to find helpful resources.
  • Beginning Experience: “A weekend away for a lifetime of change.” Designed to help those who are widowed, separated or divorced with the heartache of finding themselves alone.  To find a weekend program in the Hudson Valley, NY, area, visit:  www.beginningexperiencehv.org/.
  • Life-Giving Wounds: This is a Catholic Ministry to Adult Children of Divorce.  In addition to in-person retreats and support groups, they provide online ministry and outreach (FB + IG), print resources, and online resources for healing.  Their approach is to bring healing to adult children of divorce by transforming life-draining wounds into life-giving resources of faith, hope, love, and joy for themselves, their relationships, and the Church.  Visit: lifegivingwounds.org/.
  • Retrouvaille: Our office supports the efforts of Retrouvaille (“rediscovery”). Retrouvaille is a weekend program with follow-ups for couples whose marriages are in serious difficulty or trouble and in jeopardy of ending (due to past or present addiction, adultery, or other grave issues), and who want to make it work. The program offers the chance to rediscover yourself, your spouse and a loving relationship in your marriage. It has a proven track record of saving marriages. It is a Catholic program open to people of all faiths. Retrouvaille weekends are held in the New York area in New Jersey, on Long Island and in Connecticut. Visit: helpourmarriage.org.
Statement on Supreme Court Marriage Decision

On June 26, 2015, The United States Supreme Court issued a decision based on a fundamentally false view of human nature and love.  This decision requires all states to recognize the validity of same-sex unions as if they were marriages.

 But we know that “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27).  God thus ordained marriage — the conjugal union of husband and wife — as the foundation of human society, and the proper place for the flourishing of human love and the procreation and nurturing of new human life (see also Genesis 2:18-25).  Marriage as the conjugal union of man and woman has been understood in this way throughout human history, and human law has always recognized it, supported it, and encouraged it.

As the Family Life Office, we continually rededicate ourselves to proclaiming and promoting the original, authentic meaning of love and marriage.  We are not deterred by the struggles which may lie ahead, but are confident that with the help of God and the work of many apostles of family life, our world will experience a new Pentecost for true love and marriage.

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