Tag: Catholic Marriage

It's entirely possible to love someone while no longer living with them, says Philippa Martyr

Why do some marriages unravel within a decade? We have a personal stake in the question – three of our own children are newly married – but there’s a bigger reason too: research suggests that what eventually breaks a marriage often takes root in the first five years. 

About 250 people including families, friends, and members of the Filipino Australian community gathered at Sacred Heart Church in Sandgate on June 14 to celebrate the union of six couples in Holy Matrimony.

A gathering of marriage formators has delivered a frank assessment of the challenges facing Catholic newly married couples - and a call to the church to more actively engage with them.

Research shows that certain choices and habits are associated with dramatically lower divorce rates - and for faithful Christians, the findings will come as no great surprise.

Pope Leo XIV announced 19 March that he is asking the presidents of all bishops’ conferences around the world to convene in Rome in October to renew and deepen the church’s discussion on marriage and family in light of “Amoris Laetitia.”

As Christians, we know human beings are made for communion with God and with one another. When that's lacking, it's a poverty as real as material want. Moreover, this relational poverty often hides in plain sight in our communities.

In the first three months since sex self-identification came into force in NSW, close to 800 people changed the sex on their birth certificate. An amendment to the law that would ensure ministers of religion weren’t deceived into performing same-sex marriages by a couple using an altered birth certificate was narrowly defeated in a 16-20 vote in October.

Recently published data on marriage and divorce in Australia have caught media attention: according to the Australian Institute of Family Studies, the crude divorce rate has dropped to 2.3 per 1,000 residents (2023). On the surface, it feels like a win for stability in our homes and communities, but there is more going on for us to consider.

No doubt, many Catholics felt an acute sense of discomfort in relation to the papacy of Pope Francis. Therefore, it is understandable that they are eager to move on, as though his papacy was like a bad dream one longs to wake up from. Ironically, however, even what they claim to look for in the new pope betrays the fact that they are still hung up on Pope Francis.

Couples marrying in the Catholic Church need to use an approved version of the vows, or risk having their marriage considered invalid.

As Valentine's Day nears, many Catholic parishes and ministries are preparing to celebrate World Marriage Day 9 February.