A healthy marriage reflects the nature of Christ and His relationship toward us, His Church. It provides a secure foundation for all other relationships, it is a source of stability and perspective and it provides the ideal setting for children to attain family values and to receive their initial faith formation. Cultivating marriages is one of the most powerful ways to foster parish life, as John Paul II said in his Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio: “The future of humanity passes by the way of the family.”

For Your Marriage
An initiative of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, this site provides resources for couples who are dating, engaged, or married. As well as parenting resources, news, and blogs. Visit www.foryourmarriage.org; the site is also available in Spanish at www.portumatrimonio.org.

Worldwide Marriage Encounter Weekend
This overnight weekend experience is designed to give married couples the opportunity to learn a technique of loving communication that they can use for the rest of their lives. The weekend provides an environment conducive for couples to spend time together, away from the distractions and tensions of everyday life, while encouraging them to focus on each other and their relationship. It is presented by three married couples and a Roman Catholic priest. Visit www.wwme.org; the site is also available in Spanish at www.nycemm.com.

Diocesan Wedding Anniversary Celebration
In an effort to reach out to families and to support the sacrament of marriage, we sponsor an Annual Diocesan Wedding Anniversary Mass to celebrate milestone anniversaries like 25, 40, 50, or above years of marriage. Couples who attend have the opportunity of being greeted by the Bishop –- usually Bishop DiMarzio and take a commemorative picture with him. There is a reception with light refreshments following the Mass. It is usually held in the spring every year, alternating between Brooklyn and Queens.

 

Marriage Enrichment Fact Sheet

For more information about these programs, contact:
Secretariat for Evangelization and Catechesis
718-281-9544