July 17, 2009
‘How to be married and stay engaged’
By PAUL R. LEINGANG (Message editor)
The title of the seminar should be enough to get a couple’s attention: “How to Be Married and Stay Engaged.”
James Healy, a nationally prominent author, speaker and family life minister, will present a seminar for parish pastors and staff on Friday, Sept. 11 at the Catholic Center in Evansville and a marriage enrichment seminar at St. Benedict Cathedral in Evansville on Saturday, Sept. 12.
The Catholic Center presentation is for anyone involved in marriage ministry, Healy said in a telephone interview. “It will provide parishes with a wide variety of ways to support a couple in their marriage,” he said. “Some people think you have to bring in a speaker, but there are many ways to support marriage.” He promises that all the parishes will go away with lots of ideas.
The marriage enrichment seminar at St. Benedict Cathed-ral will be held from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Sept. 12. It is open to couples of all ages.
He also promised that both presentations would be a lot of fun, with humorous stories, many from his own experiences. “But I’m not giving any of them away now,” he said.
Jim and his wife Madonna, with their four children, ages 15 to 22, live in Joliet, Ill., where he is the director of the Center for Family Ministry of the Diocese of Joliet.
Healy has a master’s degree in the Social Sciences from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Illinois. He has served as an advisor for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. His marriage enrichment materials are used in dioceses throughout the United States. He is founding president of Illinois Catholic Family Ministries. He received a national marriage and family ministry award from NACFLM in 2000.
His CD for newlyweds, “When the Cake is Gone: How to Get Married and Stay Engaged,” was released in 2001.
Healy asks married couples to see their vows from three viewpoints: “Back to Back” — supporting each other, “Face to Face” in faithfulness, and facing the world “Shoulder to Shoulder.”
Healy cites St. Augustine, who emphasized the values of marriage as “permanence, faithfulness and offspring” — the same values that are expressed today in the marriage vows at a Catholic wedding.
The seminar at St. Benedict Cathedral will conclude with a renewal of marriage vows.
To find out more about Healy’s ministry, see www.rootedinlove.org.
To find out more about the presentation at the Catholic Center Sept. 11, contact Emily Snipes at Catholic Charities, (812) 423-5456.
The cost for the seminar at St. Benedict Cathedral on Sept. 12 is $20 per couple, or $12 per individual, before Sept. 1; $25 per couple or $15 per individual after Sept. 1. To register or to learn more, contact the parish office at (812) 425-3369, or call Jane Leingang at (812) 477-8285 or e-mail jeleingang@gmail.com.