Marriage & Family Life

Our mission is to provide services that affirm the sacredness of life, the sanctity of marriage, the sacramentality of the family and a Christian lifestyle, through all phases of human growth and development.

Services are provided in the spirit of the Catholic vision of the family as the "domestic Church" and a "school of holiness."

Activities include formation and continuing support in the areas of marriage discernment, preparation, enrichment, natural family planning, human sexuality, and Theology of the Body.

►Encounter. Transform. Witness.

• One Day Retreat - Grandparents Day of Reflection
  Thursday, November 14, 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM
  
  The Grandparents Day of Reflection will be held Nov. 14 at Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center in Belton from 9 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Pope Francis said, "Very often it is grandparents who ensure that the most important values are passed down to their grandchildren, and many people can testify that they owe their initiation into the Christian life to their grandparents." Whether you live near or far from your grandchildren, grandparents have the unique opportunity and responsibility to be holy role models of Catholic faith. Join Cheryl Maxwell as she explores the many ways in which grandparents can make a positive difference in the faith life of their grandchildren. The cost is $40 and includes lunch.
• One Day Retreat - Parent Bereavement Retreat
  Saturday, November 23, 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM
  
  The Parent Bereavement Retreat will be held at Cedarbrake Catholic Retreat Center in Belton Nov. 23 from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. This retreat is for parents, grandparents or guardians/foster parents who have lost a child or grandchild. Siblings who have lost a sister or brother are also welcome. Whether the child died “in the womb,” during childhood or as an adult, the loss of a child or grandchild is significant at any age. Louis A. Gamino and Franciscan Father Albert Haase will help lead this retreat. Gamino is an author, speaker and licensed psychologist at Baylor Scott & White Health. Father Haase is a gifted speaker, author and the chaplain at Cedarbrake. The cost is $40 and includes lunch.

The observances of National Marriage Week (Feb. 7-14) and World Marriage Day (Sunday, Feb. 10) are an opportunity to focus on building a culture of life and love that begins with supporting and promoting marriage and family life.

Click on the following links for resources:
1. Resources for parishes
2. Resources for marriage enrichment
3. Resources for your marriage

Join us in celebrating National Marriage Week (February 7-14) by taking a few moments each day, together with your spouse, to reflect and pray.  This retreat will help you further reflect on what makes marriage unique as established by God between a man and a woman, as the basis for family and society.

Click here for instruction: Seven Days Retreat

Day 1 -- Marriage: Made by God
Day 2 -- Marriage: Made for Love
Day 3 -- Marriage: Made for Each Other
Day 4 -- Marriage: Made for Life
Day 5 -- Marriage: Made for Freedom
Day 6 -- Marriage: Made for the Common Good
Day 7 -- Marriage: Made for Eternity

The 9th World Meeting of Families will take place on August 22-26, 2018 in Dublin, Ireland.  Its theme is the Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World.  Following are key moments:

• 21 August 2018, a National Opening of WMOF2018, which will take place simultaneously in all the different dioceses of Ireland.
• 22 to the 24 August 2018, a three-day Congress.  Each day will reflect on the theme “The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World” chosen by the Holy Father and will include keynote speakers, workshops, talks, testimonies and discussions.
• Saturday 25 August 2018, a Festival of Families, comprising a reflective concert style event within a prayerful and joyful atmosphere, in which personal stories of faith will be shared by families from all continents.
• Sunday 26 August 2018, WMOF2018 will close with a solemn Eucharistic Celebration, that will gather thousands of people from Ireland and all over the world. 

• Click HERE for meeting documents such as catechesis, hymns, and videos
• Click HERE for parish conversations and discussions

This page provides resources for pastoral leaders to guide their people on this particular subject, for men and women to find healing, and for families to educate themselves on the harms of pornography.

Resources include:

• Webinars
• Books
• Articles
• Documents
• Videos
• Curriculum

January 19, 2019, at 10:30 a.m., at St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church in Cedar Park
Bishop Joe Vasquez, Presider