Welcome.
 Looking back on the past month, the Office of Marriage & Family Life has seen some great ministry moments during a busy start to the summer.
"Stories of Hope and Healing" and the follow-up informational sessions with the Tribunal Office led to some great conversations in four locations across the diocese: St. Thomas More, Paducah; St. Romuald, Hardinsburg; Holy Spirit, Bowling Green; and Our Lady of Lourdes, Owensboro. The series was designed to be an outreach to those who have been through a divorce.
The speaker who flew in for the Spanish marriage enrichment retreat was well received and we're already making plans for next year. The retreat was held at St. Joseph & Paul in Owensboro, St. Joseph's in Mayfield, and St. Joseph's in Bowling Green.
This past week I saw a rough draft of a new ministry brochure for those suffering the loss of a miscarriage. Once it's ready, we pray it will bring hope and and encouragement during a difficult time.
Now we're looking forward to Family Day at Gasper while continuing the usual offerings for marriage preparation.
That's all good stuff. And those things should be celebrated. But at the same time I'm trying to keep in mind that we're only half way through the Year of Encounter where we are called to pray as a diocese, as parishes, and as individuals. To take time in our busyness to be still. Wait. And listen for the Lord. Not to do more and more stuff. So there's a balance there. Which leads me to ask myself, "How am I doing with that balance?" Are the things I'm doing moments of encounter? Or more distractions?
Lastly, if this is your first time reading this newsletter, WELCOME!!! We are constantly trying to build this email list to include more families in the Diocese of Owensboro. So please share this email with parishioners, family, and friends you think would appreciate it. Click here to subscribe so you will continue to get this newsletter directly in your inbox each month.
Danny May, Director
Marriage & Family Life Office
270-683-1545
danny.may@pastoral.org
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Be Careful Little Eyes...
- by Danny May
More than I'd like to admit, I find myself walking that thin line between being cautiously aware and overly protective as a parent. But it's hard to tell the difference sometimes.
Last week, for example, I heard a lot of talk about the Netflix series "13 Reasons Why" that apparently is very popular with teenagers right now. But unbeknownst to many parents, the show contains some very disturbing topics and explicit scenes. We don't have Netflix at our house and we don't have teenagers, so I can't speak to this particular show. (However, Charlie Hardesty, Director of Youth & Young Adult Ministry, addressed the issue in this video. And the National Catholic Partnership on Disability put out this resource as well.)
Technology, media, apps, and video games change so quickly I can't keep up. But thankfully, I've come across a few places I trust to help get me up to speed on the newest movie or show or app or whatever else comes along.
For example, when it comes to movie reviews, here are some of my trusted "go-to" places...
Common Sense Media - Trustworthy media for your family, provides age-based ratings and reviews so you can find the right movies, games, and apps for your kids.
Catholic News Service - Movie reviews from a Catholic perspective, associated with United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Plugged In - Focus on the Family's movie, TV, music, games, and book reviews.
Another site I really like is Protect Young Minds which is designed to help parents “porn-proof” their kids before they come across highly addictive and easily accessible internet pornography. But their blog has a lot of great articles and teaching tools that I find helpful for parents in general. For example, they posted an article this week called "When to Give Kids Cell Phones."
After checking a few of these sites, and probably talking with a few friends who are parents, I feel like I can make a better decision about what we allow our kids to watch (or do or download, etc).
Then the next decision is how we can use that "yes" or "no" as a teaching moment. In doing that, my hope is that I'm subtly teaching our kids that their mom and I are not taking these things lightly. Yes, we're going to "discuss it" between the two of us (meaning do some research, check it out, and make a wise decision) and get back to them. No, they will not always like the answer. But ultimately they'll know it's for their good. And ours.
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Encounter Moments at Home (or in this case, in the car!)
- by Joe Bland, Director of Evangelization
 Summer is the time for road trips, family vacations, and ballgames. In other words: lots of time in the car. Over the years, our family has used those long hours on the road for some "encounter" moments too. Here are a few ideas we've tried along the way and a few I just thought of.
Travel games - Most of us try to find the letters of the alphabet on road signs or take turns naming states or cities A - Z. Maybe you could try "How Many Saints Can You Name?" No repeats!
Car prayers - Many families start road trips with prayers for safe travels. But prayer can also help time fly mid-trip. Especially a family Rosary. Or a downloaded prayer app like the Divine Mercy Chaplet.
Get the kids involved - If you're heading out on vacation, let the kids in on the planning. Let them look up what parishes are on your route and what their Mass times are. Then let them choose which parish you go to during your trip.
Take a side trip - Playing off of Elaine Robertson's article from last month about planning a family mini-pilgrimage, let the kids look up a side trip on the way to or from your vacation destination. Is there a shrine you can visit along the way? A religious order or cathedral?
Catholic audio books are perfect for long car rides too.
As we continue this "year of encounter," remember to encourage your family to slow down, pray, listen, enjoy the moment, and let the Lord lead us. Especially in those precious moments when we're together as family.
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Did you know?
The Office of Youth & Young Adult Ministry recently reorganized and re-launched their Youth Ministry webpage to make it easier to find resources and information. The Youth Ministry Facebook page has some great content for parents and the Young Adult Ministry Facebook page is updated regularly as well.
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Online Resources:
(a run-down of the best websites I've come across since last issue)
CatholicFamilyFaith.org The Strong Catholic Family Faith website was created to assist parish and school leaders in finding the best and most relevant content and experiences for developing faith-filled Catholic families. But it's great for parents too because it's full of resources and great content. Their Facebook page is updated frequently with more great content, articles, and videos.
The National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry offers online webinars for youth ministry volunteers, catechists, AND PARENTS in both English and Spanish! There are dozens in their archive that can be watched at your convenience.
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Stay tuned.... The Office of Marriage and Family Life is reformatting our webpage to better serve you! When we launch the new page, we will give our email newsletter subscribers the first chance to see it. In the meantime, follow us on social media. Please follow our Facebook page, Instagram and Twitter.
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Save the Date…
"Joined by Grace" marriage prep Mentor Couple Program training for parish mentor couples June 16 in Whitesville, KY. Couples from St. Mary of the Woods and St. Elizabeth (Clarkson) are attending. Space is limited, but if any other parishes are interested in having couples trained, please contact Danny May for more info.
Family Day at Gasper
Family Day at Gasper River returns Sunday, August 19, with a day focused on "Encountering Jesus in the Eucharist." Includes activities, reflections by Fr. Mike Williams, and closing Mass with Bishop Medley.
Married Couple's Day of Reflection at Passionist Monastery September 22. (Postponed from April)
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Marriage Retreat at Mount St. Joseph Retreat Center
Mount St. Joseph Conference and Retreat Center is hosting a Marriage Retreat Oct. 26-28, 2018. The theme is "Falling in LOVE, Staying in LOVE AND Finding God in it all." Contact Mary Matthias Ward at 270-229-0200 for more information.
Pre-Cana Dates:
August 18 @ Gasper River
September 8 @ St. Thomas More, Paducah
October 27 (Spanish) @ Christ the King, Madisonville
November 3 @ Gasper River
Engaged Encounter: October 6/7
Once More With Love: August 25
***Visit Gasper River website for a full list of summer camps for 5th grade through high school.
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Make Plans Now for Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School takes place across the Diocese each summer. A schedule is listed on the Diocese website.
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