Wanted: Couples to mentor couples

What have you done for your marriage today?

Answers to that question can be found on a new website offered by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops: www.foryourmarriage.org. The site also includes inspiration, daily tips, and resources to help couples nourish and improve their relationships.

Meanwhile, the Albany Diocese is looking for married couples to mentor those about to wed.

Resource

Mary Fay, associate director for marriage ministries at the diocesan Family Life Office, said the website, which is only a few months old, is part of an initiative begun by the bishops in 2004 to make Catholic marriage a priority because of the high rate of divorce and an increase in cohabitation.

The bishops established a three-phase program that will culminate in a pastoral letter on marriage in 2011.

In phase one, she said, the Diocese of Albany was chosen as one of 64 dioceses to host focus groups "with married couples, priests, separated and divorced Catholics, and couples in a second marriage for the purpose learning what Catholics felt about marriage and to better discern the needs of married couples."

Getting word out

In phase two, which began in June, the bishops are evaluating the focus group process. They also launched the website and a series of public service ads.

"Basically, the bishops want to strengthen marriage as a human institution and a Christian sacrament," explained Mrs. Fay.

She said that the bishops also hope to collaborate with voters and lawmakers to protect marriage as an institution, and to increase awareness of the value of marriage in the life of the family.

Mentoring

Mrs. Fay said that her office has established a mentor-couple program that will kick off in September.

"It's a separate program from the bishops' initiative, but it dovetails nicely," she explained.

Training sessions will be held "for couples who want to share the grace of their own marriage with those planning to marry. Having such a program at the parish level welcomes those who are engaged" so that they "feel supported by their faith community as they enter this very special vocation of married life."

Vital sacrament

Said Mrs. Fay: "Marriage is a relationship that the couple must build together. It doesn't just happen; you create it together."

Therefore, the Family Life Office is "looking for mentor couples who can help build that relationship. They don't have to be a special couple or have a perfect marriage. In fact, there is no 'perfect marriage.' They just need to be willing to share their own wisdom on married life with others.

"We believe that every sacrament has grace, and we hope to find couples willing to share that with others."

(The mentor training sessions will be Sept. 11 and 25, 6-9 p.m. at the Pastoral Center in Albany. Call the Family Life Office at 453-6677.)

(9/6/07)