Ministry, Family, and Religious Education

Notice: please not that the dicastries of Family Ministry and Religious Education have merged to form the Office of Ministry, Family, and Religious Education as of July 2008.

The Office for Ministry, Family, and Religious Education offers support and encourages growth in family relationships primarily through education and self-help and in religious education through catecetical programs. The Office utilizes many volunteers to help in facilitating the different programs. The following are the programs offered through this Office.

PROJECT RACHEL

Project Rachel is a ministry of reconciliation and healing for men and women who have had a past abortion experience. It seeks to engage all whose lives have been effected by the loss of a child through abortion. For some, the choice of having an abortion has left them feeling they are no longer welcome in their communities, particularly their worshipping communities if they are people of faith. For others, having to live with the choices made by a loved one is a source of great pain, profound loss or even anger. For many, abortion is a source of grief and regret. Project Rachel seeks to invite all those whose lives have been consumed with these feelings to a journey of healing and reconciliation.

Project Rachel , overseen by the Office for Family Ministry, was established to provide for anyone in the community feeling pain associated with an abortion. If you feel you could use this kind of support and assistance, please call our confidential line at (905) 526-1999 or 1-888-385-3850. Our counsellors are waiting to assist you.

• If you would like further information, or want to book a speaker, please contact Teresa Hartnett at (905) 528-7988, ext. 2250 or
• email

MARRIAGE PREPARATION

FOCCUS- For Open Couple Communication, Understanding and Study is a process that helps Engaged Couples in identifying and affirming their strengths as well as alerting them to areas in their relationship that need to be addressed. About 13 to 18 categories can be explored . The FOCCUS is administered and offered as part of the Preparation Process by most parishes in the diocese. No fee is required

MARRIAGE PREPARATION PROGRAMS are offered on a Diocesan, Deanery, Parish or personal basis. Special focus is given to couples entering an Inter-Faith marriage and specific programs are available for those entering a second marriage. They cover such topics as communication, finances, spirituality of marriage, sexuality and marriage readiness. The programs provide an engaged couple with the opportunity to discuss their relationship and discover some areas they may not have talked about.

• For information on the scheduling of these programs in the Hamilton area, or for more information, please call Connie at (905) 528-7988 ext. 2237 or email
  
• In the Waterloo area, please email 

CATHOLIC ENGAGED ENCOUNTER(CEE) provides quality marriage preparation primarily for couples who are planning to marry in the Catholic Church. However, couples who are not Catholic are also welcome to attend one of our weekends. The program is available in most dioceses in Canada and in many locations internationally. The intent is for an engaged couple to concentrate on building a strong and meaningful relationship. These weekends are held three or four times a year.

• The location and date for the next Catholic Engaged Encounter is:

  April 12 & 13, 2008 (NON-RESIDENTIAL)
  At Resurrection College in Waterloo
  

  For more information, please call our office at (905) 528-7988 ext 2249 or discover Catholic Engaged Encounter on the Internet at www.ceeeast.org

MARRIAGE ENRICHMENT

• DIOCESAN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MASS is celebrated annually by Bishop Anthony Tonnos. It is held in the Cathedral of Christ the King in Hamilton, for couples married 25, 40, 50 and 60 years or more. The next Anniversary Mass will be held on March 30, 2008.
• For more information, please contact your local parish.

MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER: Increase Your Joy! Spend a weekend together, just the two of you, increasing your understanding of each other. This weekend will help you to communicate and listen at an even higher level than you do now, as well as help you to continue to see God as an important member in your marriage partnership.

Facilitated by trained teams of married couples, a priest and a sister, the weekend is hosted for up to twenty couples.

• The locations and dates for the next Marriage Encounter Weekends are:
  
  • T.B.A.
    
• For more information, please contact our office at (905) 528-7988 ext. 2249.

REFOCCUS, developed for Relationship Enrichment, helps married couples explore 5 important areas of marriage: Marriage as a Process, Intimacy, Compatibility, Communicationand Commitment. The questionnaires can be self administered and scored. Meaningful dialogue is precipitated and their marriage enhanced.

• REFOCCUS Kit - $15.00 (per couple). Available through this office.

RETROUVAILLE weekends with follow-up and support sessions are available for couples who are experiencing difficulties in their marriage.

• For more information, please contact 1-888-663-0223 or discover Retrouvaille on the Internet at www.retrouvaille.org

NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING

Information and instruction in Fertility Awareness and Natural Family Planning are offered by Ovulation Method (Billings) and Serena (Sympto-thermal method), instructors.

• For more information, please call our office at (905) 528-7988 ext. 2251.

MINISTERING to the SEPARATED AND DIVORCED

LEVELS I, II, III are offered throughout the Diocese several times a year. There are ten to thirteen sessions for each Level. These programs help people to understand and cope with the change in their life brought about by separation or divorce.

Hamilton
The dates for the Hamilton Programs are as follows:

• LEVEL I - Learning to Cope
  March 11 to May 20, 2008

• LEVEL II - Accepting the Situation
  March 12 to May 21, 2008

• LEVEL III - Reconnecting
  March 12 to May 28, 2008

For more information regarding the programs in Hamilton, please contact our office at (905) 528-7988 ext. 2249.

Waterloo
The date for the Waterloo Program is as follows:

• LEVEL I - Learning to Cope
  March 18 to June 3, 2008
  
  
• LEVEL II - Accepting the Situation
  March 18 to June 3, 2008
  
  
  For more information regarding the programs in Kitchener/Waterloo, please contact Doreen Cook at (519) 846-2492.

KEYS TO LOVING RELATIONSHIPS - is a thirteen week program presented with a series of 18 Video tapes and includes a study guide. The videos are presented by Gary Smalley, one of the top speakers on Family Relationships. It is held in Hamilton at the Chancery Office.

• February 21 to May 22, 2008
  
• For more information regarding the KEYS TO LOVING RELATIONSHIPS program, please contact our office at (905) 528-7988 ext. 2249.

SUPPORT GROUPS for the separated and divorced are held in various communities of the Diocese throughout the year. They come together to share feelings and experiences in complete confidence. Sometimes guest speakers are invited to share various topics, i.e. Coping, Loneliness and Aloneness, Legal Aspects and Finances.

• For more information regarding the Hamilton Support Group, please contact our office at (905) 528-7988 ext. 2249.
• For information regarding Kitchener/Waterloo Support Group, please contact Doreen Cook at (519) 846-2492..

NEW BEGINNINGS WEEKEND is a program designed to help widowed, separated and divorced persons make a NEW BEGINNING in life. This is a live-in weekend offered twice a year. It affirms a person’s faith and assists in the discovery of a deeper meaning in his/her life and changed circumstances.

Locations and dates for the next New Beginnings Weekends are:

• Resurrection College in Waterloo on April 25, 26 & 27, 2008
  
  For more information regarding the New Beginning Weekend, please contact our office at (905) 528-7988 ext. 2249.