(July 9, 2012) An overview of the history marriage in the Western world.

(July 9, 2012)

[July 5, 2012] IVF violates the rights of the child: it deprives him of his filial relationship with his parental origins and can hinder the maturing of his personality. It objectively deprives conjugal fruitfulness of its unity and integrity, it brings about and manifests a rupture between genetic parenthood, gestational parenthood, and responsibility for upbringing. This threat to the unity and stability of the family is a source of dissension, disorder, and injustice in the whole of social life.

[July 5, 2012] Despite its primary importance as a vocation, we have lost faith in marriage's importance. We have come to take for granted that 50% of all marriages will end in failure. Clearly, it is time to take a closer look at marriage.

[July 5, 2012] Instruction on respect for human life in its origin and on the dignity of procreation.
 

[July 5, 2011] Pope Paul VI's encyclical letter regarding the harmful results of contraception on individuals and society.

[July 5, 2012] Since many coming into marriage now are children of divorce or have family members or friends who have experienced divorce, they are beguiled into believing that if they “test the waters” by living together they will be able to predict the success of their married life. It is beguiling because this way of preparing for marriage has at its very foundation the seeds of uneven commitment and mistrust - mistrust of their partner, sometimes a mistrust of themselves, or even a mistrust in God’s ability to provide for them in marriage.

[July 5, 2012) In 1968, Pope Paul VI released Humanae Vitae, an encyclical affirming the Christian tradition’s ancient and constant moral teaching that contraception is wrong. Sadly,
Humanae Vitae came as a shock to many Christians inside and outside the Catholic
Church, who thought that the church was ready to accommodate herself to the modern
view of marriage as primarily a relational, not procreative, institution.

[July 5, 2012] Where did the bond between monogamous marriage and procreation come from? Why is it no longer self-evident? And what are the consequencesof this change?

[July 5, 2102] The decline of the family has now reached critical and truly dangerous proportions.  Family breakdown touches virtually every family and every American. It is not only the major source of social instability in the Western world today but also seriously threatens civic freedom and constitutional government.

[July 5, 2102] Given today’s external attacks and the internal crisis of the sacrament of marriage, our faithful are in need to be instructed and encouraged regarding the profound inner meaning and value of the indissoluble covenant established between a man and a woman.

[July 5, 2012] Pornography, by its very nature, leads to insatiability. One picture, stored in the memory, will never be enough to continue arousing a man. God, after all, designed the man and the woman to be satisfied not with a single sex act but with an ongoing appetite for each other, for the unitive and procreative union of flesh to flesh and soul to soul.

[July 5, 2012]  California’s voter-approved ban on gay marriage (Proposition 8) was overturned yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker. In his deeply flawed ruling, he found that the gay marriage ban violates the Constitution's due process and equal protection clauses while failing "to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license."  

April 25, 2012 - Marriage experts urge couples to get to know the family they are marrying into for clues about their spouse, a sense of future family responsibilities and even to tap into potential support.

April 25, 2012 - In the early 1970s, American women reported being much happier than American men did. Since that time, social change has led to gains for women in many spheres of American life. And yet, since the 1970s, the reported happiness of American women has steadily plummeted. The reason, according to a growing body of scholarship and journalism, is contraception and abortion.

April 4, 2012 - Regarding  “In Crisis: The state of marriage” (Feb. 22 Denver Catholic Register) and “Experts offer advice on strengthening one’s marriage” (March 28 DCR). This two-part article mentions that contraception is harmful to marriages. There are resources that can help couples break their habit of using contraception.
 

March 28, 2012 - Mary Eberstadt is my friend, but I’ll risk charges of special pleading and self-plagiarism by quoting my endorsement on the dust jacket of her new book, Adam and Eve after the Pill (Ignatius Press).

March 16, 2012 - The US Bishops Conference is calling for a nationwide prayer campaign for protection of religious freedom and conscience rights. In a March 14 statement titled “United for Religious Freedom,” they wrote: “Prayer is the ultimate source of our strength—for without God, we can do nothing; but with God, all things are possible.”

Click here to download a new "Prayer for Religious Liberty" and other resources.

Feb. 21, 2012 - Dr. Helen M. Alvaré & Kim Daniels invite all women who stand in favor of religious liberty, and who wish to offer a competing voice in the HHS mandate discussion surrounding sex, marriage, and family life, to visit www.womenspeakforthemselves.com. Signatures have been flooding in since it's public release.

Feb. 22, 2012 - Two local psychotherapists will offer a pilot program next month to help heal and strengthen relationships, particularly marital relationships. The program 'In-To-Me-You-See,' will be led by Kenneth Cramer and Jim Langley, co-founders of St. Raphael Counseling LLC in Denver.

Feb. 22, 2012 - Marriage is not only declining, it's in crisis. The U.S. Catholic Bishops have responded with several initiatives: 'For Your Marriage,' and 'Marriage: Unique for a Reason.'

Feb. 15, 2012 - It's not the Rhythm Method. It's not Catholic-approved birth control, either! It's so much more than that! It's liberating, life-giving and the best investment you can make in your marriage. Learn more about it at http://foryourmarriage.org/what-is-natural-family-planning/

Feb. 12, 2012 - Read an excellent homily delivered by Deacon Bob Finan of the Archdiocese of Denver, delivered at Denver's Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

Feb. 8, 2012 - Preparing your taxes-the thought can make one wince. However, Scripture does say 'render unto Caesar what is Caesar's.' Paying taxes is a necessary un-pleasantry.

Feb. 8, 2012 - Not a day goes by without Deacon Milton Webre and his wife, Beverly, clinking their wine glasses together-sometimes coffee mugs if it's the morning-and saying, 'Happy anniversary.'

Jan. 25, 2012 - Due to an ongoing demand, Thomas is bringing a series of mother-daughter and father-son purity programs back to Denver this year to inform teens about the truth of their sexuality and an understanding of true love.

Oct. 19, 2011 - Nearly 250 couples registered for the 2011 Anniversary Mass, organized by the archdiocesan Office of Marriage and Family Life, and celebrated by Bishop James Conley, apostolic administrator for the Denver Archdiocese. Special congratulations to two couples who've been married for 68 years: Ann and James Lease of Holy Cross Church in Thornton, and Rosemary and Russell Baker of Notre Dame Church in Denver.

June 8, 2011 (By Alan Wisdom, Salvo) - Pope Benedict XVI recently spoke about cohabitation to young people in Croatia: 'Do not give in to that secularized mentality which proposes living together as a preparation, or even a substitute for marriage! Show by the witness of your lives that it is possible, like Christ, to love without reserve, and do not be afraid to make a commitment to another person!'

June 7, 2011 (Mere Comments, Touchstone Magazine) - Bill Bennett addresses the question many women are asking, "Where are the men?" We see the men in tv commercials, even on the street. Unshaven, unkempt boys hanging out, playing, iPods, drinking beer...

Summer, 2011 (by Greg Koukl, Salvo Magazine) - Is it wise to "test-drive" a potential mate in bed to check for sexual compatibility? Is chastity unrealistic given the realities of modern life and the pressures adolescents and adults face?

April 3, 2011 (By Most Rev. Michael J. Sheehan, Archbishop of Santa Fe) - "We are all painfully aware that there are many Catholics today who are living in cohabitation. The Church must make it clear to the faithful that these unions are not in accord with the Gospel, and to help Catholics who find themselves in these situations to do whatever they must do to make their lives pleasing to God."

Aug., 5, 2010 (by Phil Webb, Archdiocese of Denver's Director of Marriage & Family Life) - California’s voter-approved ban on gay marriage (Proposition 8) was overturned yesterday by Chief U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker. The ruling is deeply flawed.