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Bishop O'Connell's National Marriage Week message • New diocesan marriage initiative
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February 7, 2023Bishop David M. O’Connell has shared the following message for National Marriage Week 2023:
Before the liturgical changes introduced by the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), women and men entering a sacramental marriage in the Catholic Church heard an “exhortation” read by the priest about the Sacrament of Matrimony.
Although no longer used, it is a beautiful text worth reading, not only at the beginning but for the whole of married life. As we celebrate National Marriage Week, February 7-14 this year and its theme “Called to the Joy of Love,” I would like to share it with you now.
Read Bishop O'Connell's full message HERE.
In his 2016 apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia, The Joy of Love, Pope Francis calls for “a broader vision and a renewed awareness of the importance of marriage and the family.”
Embracing the Holy Father’s call, and in an effort to address the significant problem of Catholics choosing to marry outside the Church, the Diocese of Trenton has launched a new multi-pronged initiative to support and encourage Catholic marriage.
“Encouraging Catholic Weddings,” an initiative of the diocesan Department of Evangelization and Family Life, is “a campaign to build awareness of the benefits of Catholic marriage that includes a program specifically for parishes,” explained Peg Hensler, associate director, Marriage Ministries and Natural Family Planning.
At the core of the ECW initiative is a new book, “The Wedding Survival Guide for Catholics – 44 Strategies to Survive Wedding Planning and Thrive in a Catholic Marriage” The book, which is a collaboration between the Diocese of Trenton and Stress Gone Publishing LLC, provides “a fresh perspective to young adult Catholics who are engaged or discerning marriage with a vision for a beautiful Church wedding,” said Hensler, who is co-author.
Read more about this new marriage initiative HERE.
