“The way you help heal the world is that you start with your own family.”
– Mother Teresa
A family often begins with a marriage. In these cases, the marital relationship is the foundation upon which all other family relationships are built. Please click here to access a wealth of resources to help strengthen and sustain your marriage, or to find resources for your hurting marriage.
Resources for Issues Involving Abuse/Addiction
- Catholic Social Services Programs
- Catholic Social Services Offices
- Life Matters: Domestic Violence:
An article by Frank J. Moncher, PhD - Domestic Violence
Information from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. - http://www.pcadv.org/Find-Help/
- http://www.thehotline.org/
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How Alcohol Affects Relationships
An article about the ways alcohol affects family relationships, plus helpful resources.
Finances
https://compasscatholic.org/ This website is designed to help Catholics with money management. There are many free resources available, as well as programs for purchase.
Resources for Parents/Child Safety
Catholic Social Services Family, Parenting, Pregnancy and Youth Services.
Cyber safety:
- http://www.netsmartzkids.org/
- http://www.connectsafely.org/
- https://www.dhs.gov/blog/2013/06/18/internet-safety-children
Resources for Post-Abortion Healing
Rachel’s Vineyard Post-Abortion Healing Retreat:
This confidential weekend retreat facilitates spiritual and emotional healing for men and women struggling with the pain of abortion. Exercises based on scripture are designed to help participants experience God’s mercy and compassion, and to reconcile with their church, their child, and with themselves. The retreat concludes with a Memorial Service and (Catholic) Mass of Entrustment. If your heart hears God’s gentle invitation, take courage, for you are being called home to heal. Financial assistance is available.
For Diocese of Scranton registration or information contact: Denise Mengak (570) 822-7118, ext. 3333, drowinski@csswb.org or Susan Walters suezq22@verizon.net
To learn more, or to register for a retreat: http://www.rachelsvineyard.org/
National Hotline for Abortion Recovery –1-866-482-LIFE (866-482-5433) or internationalhelpline.org
Grief Ministry
“In families, there are difficulties. In families, we argue; in families, sometimes the plates fly; in families, the children give us headaches. And I’m not even going to mention the mother-in-law. But in families, there is always, always, the cross. Always. Because the love of God, of the Son of God, also opened for us this path. But, in families as well, after the cross, there is the resurrection. Because the Son of God opened for us this path. Because of this, the family is — forgive the term I’ll use — it is a factory of hope, of hope of life and of resurrection. God was the one who opened this path… In families, there are difficulties, but these difficulties are overcome with love. Hate doesn’t overcome any difficulty. Division of hearts doesn’t overcome any difficulty. Only love is capable of overcoming difficulties. Love is a festival. Love is joy. Love is to keep moving forward.”
– POPE FRANCIS’ TOP 10 QUOTES ON THE FAMILY at the World Meeting of Families 2015 (Philadelphia, USA)