What of the institutional Church? What are responsibilities for the school, the parish office, the hospital, the monastery, the chancery? More lists follow; how many of these aspects are provided by the Catholic institutions of which you are a part?
229. Parishes, movements, schools and other Church institutions can help in a variety of ways to support families and help them grow. These might include:
- meetings of couples living in the same neighborhood,
- brief retreats for couples;
- talks by experts on concrete issues facing families,
- marriage counselling,
- home missionaries who help couples discuss their difficulties and desires,
- social services dealing with family problems like addiction, infidelity and domestic violence,
- programs of spiritual growth,
- workshops for parents with troubled children and
- family meetings.
The parish office should be prepared to deal helpfully and sensitively with family needs and be able to make referrals, when necessary, to those who can help.
Does your parish secretary have the list of referrals? Is he or she prepared to suggest meetings or groups in the church or neighborhood to those in need?
There is also the contribution made by groups of married couples that provide assistance as part of their commitment to service, prayer, formation and mutual support. Such groups enable couples to be generous, to assist other families and to share the faith; at the same time they strengthen marriages and help them to grow.
For your reference Amoris Laetitia is online here.
Catholic Sensibility 