Article Directory
A Catholic response to miscarriage and infant loss
Meeting SummaryS Andrea Trikilis, a volunteer co-founder of the Australian Catholic ministry Grieving Hearts, presented on the pastoral and practical dimensions of supporting Catholics through miscarriage and
The “Devout Difference”: New Research Confirms What the Church Has Always Taught About Marriage
A new report from the Institute for Family Studies gives marriage formation ministers hard data to put behind a message we've long taught by faith: a lived, practised faith
The Numbers Are Stark – But So Is Our Calling
When the latest U.S. Census data crossed diocesan desks this year, it confirmed what many pastors and marriage ministers have long sensed in empty pews and declining nuptial Masses:
Ten Years After Amoris Laetitia…
What does the October Rome Synod signal for marriage ministry? Some of the discussion indicates that there is a shift in focus from marriage preparation to the years that
Registering for a Marriage, Not Just a Wedding
Catholic wedding platform Cana made news for something small but telling: a new registry featuring Catholic vendors - sacred art, icons, handmade faith-centered gifts - instead of the usual
Made for More Than Marriage-Avoidance
The headlines keep circling the same question: why are men opting out of marriage? More importantly - how do we respond as a community of faith? September 11, 2025
You Don’t Have to Numb Yourself to Be Safe
A widely shared essay making the rounds put words to something a lot of young women feel but rarely say out loud: love feels risky, so why not just
Designed for Life: Women’s Health & Fertility Through the Lens of FEMM
Meeting Summary Felicity Blazevic, a certified FEMM teacher based in Sydney, presented on FEMM — Fertility Education and Medical Management — a knowledge-based women's health program that
One hundred marriage leaders agree on this one thing
We asked one hundred Catholic marriage leaders — priests, lay volunteers, diocesan staff, counsellors — what couples in the first decade of marriage need most, and you might expect
Navigating Expectation Gaps Between Engaged Couples and the Parish
Navigating Expectation Gaps Between Engaged Couples and the Parish Every parish priest who prepares couples for marriage knows the moment. A bride has her heart set on a song
6th World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly – Facilitated discussion
Meeting Summary This LMF Network meeting was a facilitated discussion marking the 6th World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, themed I Will Never Forget You — drawn from
The Most Radical Act – Interview with Melbourne Catholic
Francine recently did an extensive interview with Sam Rebbechi at Melbourne Catholic. Here's a summary of what was discussed. The most radical act When people hear that my husband
Worldwide Marriage Encounter Receives Vatican Decree and Papal Audience
Vatican City, March, 2026 – Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME) has been formally recognized as an International Private Association of the Faithful by the Vatican’s Dicastery for the Laity, Family
From Eden to Eternity
Why Exclusive Love Opens to the Infinite exploring the Vatican’s document Una Caro (One Flesh) a response to African polygamy and Western polyamory. Meeting Summary Dr Agata Mleczko presented
The Church Must Walk With Them
Roundtable: Accompaniment of the Newly Married Experts Call for Deeper Support for Newly Married Couples A gathering of marriage formators has delivered a frank assessment of the challenges facing Catholic newly married couples
Vatican Seminar Addresses Marriage, Faith, and Priestly Formation
Teaching future priests to "lead from darkness to light, from the biological to the heavenly, from the world to God" on the theme of marriage Context A seminar held at
Pastoral Care of the Divorced & Remarried
Meeting Summary The Diocese of Port Louis in Mauritius shared a pastoral initiative they developed in response to Pope Francis's Amoris Laetitia, designed to accompany divorced and remarried Catholics
Homegrown: Prepare adolescents for the sacrament of marriage
Meeting Summary Simon Ashley, a Catholic educator and founder of the Homegrown Initiative, presented a parent-led formation program he spent a decade developing — first as a 30,000-word master's
Does Marriage Matter Anymore?
A commentary on the decline of Catholic weddings and birth rate in USA In an article published in “The Dialogue” (As marriages in U.S. continue to decline, church leaders
Preparing for the International Eucharistic Congress
Meeting Summary Benjamin Galea, Chief Operating Officer of the 54th International Eucharistic Congress, presented to the LMF Network just days after the public launch of the Congress's identity, vision, and
One Flesh, Infinite Depth: Reading Una Caro
The Vatican's new document Una Caro ("One Flesh") offers married couples something rare: not more rules, but a vision of how deep and beautiful your marriage can become. In
Puberty & Consent Education A Catholic Perspective on Healthy Relationships
Meeting Summary The first LMF Network meeting of 2025 focused on one of the most pressing issues facing Catholic schools: the Australian federal government's mandate requiring consent education to
Men of Sexual Integrity – Unleashing masculine leadership for mission
Meeting Summary Paul Ninnes, co-founder of Real Talk International, presented on sexual integrity as a centre-point issue for the Church — not just a pornography problem, but a crisis
Communities of Care – Grief Support
Meeting Summary Susanne North, a wellbeing coach and mindfulness practitioner from Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Parish in Randwick, shared how her parish became a pilot site for