Catholics in their first decade of marriage are being invited to take part in a national survey aimed at improving the church’s pastoral support for newly married couples.
Couples married within the past 10 years, where at least one spouse is Catholic, are eligible to participate. The project has already received 440 responses.
“We hope to reach 1000 respondents over September,” project manager Jessica George said, adding that a larger response would produce stronger research results.
The project is funded by the Bishops Commission for Life, Family and Public Engagement and managed by the Parish and Marriage Resource Centre, a Catholic organisation that develops programs, research and practical resources to strengthen marriages, families and parish life.
Sydney Bishop Tony Percy, the bishop delegate for marriage, family and life, said newly-married Catholics often received little support after their weddings.
“Pope Francis had a particular concern for the newly married” explained Bishop Percy.
“He recognised that as a church we have tended to focus on preparation for marriage and then, after the wedding, have more or less left couples to fend for themselves.
“We know it’s a time of great challenge for married couples but in order to provide better support, we need to hear from the people living it.”
The project responds to concerns raised by the late Pope Francis in his 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love) about the need to accompany couples during the early years of marriage.
The survey is designed to be completed individually, and spouses may complete it separately. The survey is also open to people who are separated or divorced. It has two parts: one that covers marriage experiences, and the second explores beliefs, understanding and behaviours in more depth.
Involvement in the survey is anonymous and voluntary and the research project has been approved by the Christian Research Association Ethics Committee. The final analysis will be conducted before the end of the year with a comprehensive research report to follow.
Its findings will provide the bishops with an evidence base for developing pastoral responses and resources addressing the needs, challenges and joys of early married life.
The survey is available at thepmrc.org/survey.
