Office of Marriage & Family Ministry, April

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April - June 2022

50th Jubilee Celebration

Saturday, June 25, 10:00am
Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist
We will host our celebration in person again this year. Bishop Malesic will celebrate the Mass. The in-person event will be limited to 2 guests or caregivers with the couple. Because of construction around the Cathedral, we are also using the Superior Avenue entrance only. Please be aware that you can also register for a certificate only that will be mailed to the couple's home. Every year we have some issues with an address or phone number being inaccurate, therefore, please make sure to check the address and phone number for accuracy before submitting the online registration. For more information and to register, please visit dioceseofcleveland.org/50th

Single Catholics & Marriage Discernment

The National Conference for Single Catholics has been around for 20+ years! They offer many varieties of resources and an annual conference that helps to deepen a single person’s relationship with the Lord. One new resource is a program called “Relationship Ready: The Single Catholic’s Road-map to Marriage.” This program helps with marriage discernment and makes dating healthy and holy. For more information, visit nationalcatholicsingles.com/.

Saints Anne & Joachim Grandparents Workshops

We are excited to announce that we hosted about 400 people at our Anne and Joachim Grandparenting Workshops. These were hosted in conjunction with other offices of the Parish Life Secretariat and it truly took all hands on deck to pull them off. Participants were very appreciative and it was quite obvious that there is a need for more. We sold out at one of the sites and we continue to receive requests for more gatherings. We are considering a weekend offering because we are well aware that many grandparents work, and also workshops in Spanish. Our goal is to support parishes in the development of grandparenting ministry at the local level.

We are very thankful for the parishes that helped with this endeavor: Queen of Heaven, St. John Vianney, St. Albert the Great and St. Clarence.

EWTN News in Depth covered one of the days also, and should be airing the story in the next few weeks.

Pictured from left to right are: Terri Yohman, Marilyn Henry and Bishop Edward Malesic as Marilyn presented the Bishop with a medal in honor of our work to support the evangelization efforts for grandparenting.

The International Association of Catholic Grandparents sent their delegate to the United States, Marilyn Henry, to attend one of the days and she indicated that, in all of her travels to other states, the Diocese of Cleveland had really “hit the mark”.

The challenge has also been laid out for us because, currently, there are no chapters in Ohio. Look for more information soon on our website about how to start parish ministries for grandparents here in Cleveland, as well as links back to their website for parishioners that want to join the Association.

Grandparenting Tip

We know that children need at least five trusted adults for healthy development. Please be extravagantly affectionate with your grandchildren and listen with an open heart and mind, taking interest in what is important to them.

Hope's Garden

Did you know that we have a local parish that hosts betrayal trauma support groups? Laura Ercolino from Hope’s Garden shared some wonderful information that may be useful to parishioners or friends that you might have. Many times it is very difficult to find support within a smaller community, and the options that Hope's Garden provides can give some anonymity for the women. They are offering a virtual healing retreat on Divine Mercy Weekend, April 22-23rd. They also have an online community that is supervised and supported by licensed mental health professionals. Please check out and share the resources available.

Grief Support for Suicide Loss Survivors

I have been meeting with Cornerstone of Hope to further develop the Bereavement Ministry offerings in the Diocese. They offer services onsite that would include a set number of sessions with professional counselors. Because loss due to suicide is a very different grief, we want to pilot some parish cluster offerings next year where Cornerstone counselors will lead closed groups at parishes. I would ask that a few parishes work together, so that we can reach the 15 participant limit. Parishes interested should reach out to Terri Yohman as soon as possible to begin the process.

Collaboration with Catholic Charities

I am excited to report that I have a meeting scheduled with Catholic Charities to discuss the needs of our families and marriages within the Diocese to foster the development of a listing of Catholic counselors. There has also been discussion about the development of pastoral trainings for parish bereavement ministry leaders. Stay tuned!

Lenten Day of Reflection

On March 11^th at the Center for Pastoral Leadership a Lenten Day of Reflection and Resources was hosted and several agencies were present to provide, Lay Ecclesial Ministers, Parish Bereavement Ministers and Nourish for Caregiver Leaders with valuable community resources for all stages of life. Pictured below is Fr. Eric Garris celebrating Mass.

Seen: Despair and Anxiety in Kids and Teenagers and the Power of Connection by Will Hutcherson  (Author), Chinwé Williams  (Author)
Audience: Pastors, YMs, Teachers, Coaches
Topic: Mental Health
SEEN is a two-hour read giving practical skills that link psychology and faith, including clinical research and real life stories.