Projects | Marriage & Family Life

Since 2003 the Marriage & Family Life Project Office has served the dioceses of England and Wales in their programmes of pastoral care of marriage and family life, principally through work that emerged from the ground-breaking conversations that took place within the Catholic Church involving 15,000 families, called ‘Listening 2004: My Family, My Church’. This was an unprecedented opportunity to hear directly from Catholic families what life was really like for them in the 21st Century. The Bishops’ report in 2005, ‘Not Easy But Full of Meaning’, endorses the pastoral strategies for the Bishops’ collaborative work that emerged from, and continue to be inspired by, these conversations.

A need for welcoming, family-sensitive, friendly parishes where Christian community thrives and sustains the lives of those both at its heart and on the margins
A need to deepen and share among laity and clergy alike a much wider understanding of marital and family spirituality as the heart of the domestic church
A need to explore and better understand what we mean by passing on faith in God, the primary role of parents, and to equip them accordingly

The following projects have been developed in light of these priorities as part of the bishops' national programmes of pastoral care for marriage and family life.

The Windsock Visitation Used with Permission, Bro M. O. McGrath

Light for the Path

For the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy the MFL Project Office has produced Light for the Path a 6 session user-friendly resource to help families enter into this special time for the church. The session material is designed for use with any combination of ‘family people’ and will help families to reflect on what mercy means and how we live it in our day-to-day lives. At the heart of each session is a Scripture passage from one of the texts referred to by Pope Francis in his letter 'Misericordiae Vultus' (The Face of Mercy). The resource includes accompanying guides for adult only and adult & child sessions.

PROCLAIM 15

The Proclaim 15 page contains all the resources that featured in the workshop on welcoming, family-friendly parishes offered during Proclaim '15 at Birmingham Repertory Theatre in July. Including a video of the workshop, facilitated by Elizabeth Davies, with Chris and Vince Joyce and Stephen and Tracey Hoy, members of the Steering Group for Family Groups in England and Wales. On the page you can also download a copy of Walking with Families in Sharing the Good News and click through links to additional resources, information and support.

CELEBRATING FAMILY:

BLESSED, BROKEN, LIVING LOVE

Celebrating Family: Blessed, Broken, Living Love is the overarching theme of a range of pastoral initiatives developed by the Bishops following the Listening 2004 conversations. The strapline was inspired by a recognition that most families are both blessed and 'broken', but nevertheless persevere in living love for each other. In 2004 Bishop Brian Noble called for the church to celebrate families as they really are, for good and not so good.

EVERYBODY’S WELCOME

Everybody's Welcome in response to the need for welcoming, family-sensitive, friendly parishes where the Christian community thrives, and sustains the lives of those at its heart and on the margins.

HOME IS A HOLY PLACE

Home is a Holy Place in response to the need to deepen and share among laity and clergy alike a wider understanding of marital and family spirituality.

PASSING ON THE FAITH

Passing on the Faith aims to explore and better understand what we mean by ‘passing on faith in God’, the primary role of parents and their support needs.

LISTENING 2004 10TH ANNIVERSARY

Ten years ago a series of ground-breaking conversations took place within the Catholic Church in England and Wales involving 15,000 families. Listening 2004: My Family, My Church gave families the chance to talk openly about what life was really like for them in the 21st Century. Our feature looks at the genesis, impact and legacy of Listening 2004 on its 10th anniversary.

DIOCESAN CAPACITY-BUILDING

Capacity-Building Projects 2008-11

In 2006 the Bishops of England and Wales launched a £12 million fundraising campaign Faith in the Future to support a range of initiatives including strengthening family life. The success of this campaign made it possible for 13 dioceses to undertake capacity-building family ministry projects which sought to strengthen parish communities and encourage families as leaders. The impact of these projects has enabled the bishops to fund further diocesan capacity-building work from 2014-16.

FAMILY GROUP MOVEMENT

Family Groups are parish friendship groups drawn from the Catholic community open to any parishioner irrespective of age or personal circumstances. They are made up of young, mature, single, widowed, married, separated and divorced parishioners who commit to spending time together once a month for low cost activities. The groups are linked by a common faith bond but are not exclusive to Catholic. Members have a commitment to know, support and love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. The Family Group Movement is supported by a national Steering Group and has the patronage of Peter Doyle, Bishop of Northampton.

CATHOLIC GRANDPARENTS ASSOCIATION (England & Wales)

The Catholic Grandparents’ Association (CGA) (England & Wales) was launched in May 2014. The CGA works to keep prayer at the heart of family life, to support grandparents pass on their faith in God to grandchildren and promotes the development of parish based grandparents groups. Annual grandparents pilgrimages are held in Aylesford and Walsingham, and in 2016, there will be the first Welsh Grandparents' Pilgrimage at Belmont Abbey in Herefordshire.

MENTAL HEALTH PROJECT

The Bishops' Mental Health Project grew out of the Everybody's Welcome initiative as it sought to ensure appreciation and acceptance of those experiencing mental ill-health, their families and carers. Now a major project in its own right, the Mental Health Project seeks to further encourage and inspire us as communities of understanding and pastoral care.

CEDAR

Catholics Experiencing Domestic Abuse Resources (CEDAR) is a resource for parishes, deaneries and dioceses to help create an environment within the Catholic community in which domestic abuse is understood and recognised as unacceptable. The Domestic Abuse Working Group is now examining how the Catholic community can improve its response when victims of domestic abuse come forward.