Editorial

St. Francis of Assisi reportedly said Christians should preach - and use words only when necessary. He meant that we should convey our beliefs and values primarily by our actions.

	Related articles this week: • Married couples: After 50 years, their work is not finished • Column by Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput -- Couples need truth: About meaning of marriage

We should all teach first by example, but this is especially true for married couples. Young people today desperately need to see happy married couples who witness to the value of married life.

But young people also need words. Marriage is so important that we have to talk about it, too. Married couples - especially parents - should discuss the importance of marriage with their children. Don't assume they know why you married each other and why you stay married.

Focus on marriage. To help give married couples some assistance in articulating the importance of married life, this week's Catholic Herald focuses on Catholic marriage.

Our front page features a picture from the recent diocesan Golden Wedding Anniversary Celebration, at which Bishop Robert C. Morlino honored couples throughout our diocese who have been married for 50 years. Bishop Morlino praised them for the "service and witness" they have given to the Church as married couples for so many years. On Page 2 [online here], there is a report on his homily at the Mass, at which the bishop reflects on how married couples witness to each other and society.

The paper also includes our semi-annual Catholic Marriage section [print edition only], with information on marriage preparation, Natural Family Planning, and marriage enrichment opportunities. Catholic Herald reporter Kat (Bushman) Wagner writes about her recent wedding to Paul Wagner and how they tried to keep the faith aspects of their marriage as their focus while planning their wedding.

We also published on our Voices Page a column by Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput (Page 11). He stresses that young people today need to be given the full truth about Catholic teaching on marriage. He discusses the issue of cohabitation and says, "Cohabiting couples deserve the understanding and patience of the Catholic community, but above all they need to hear the Christian truth, persuasively offered, about the nature of marriage, the meaning of their sexuality, and the importance of the family."

Signs of hope. Despite what we hear in the secular media and movies, there are many successful marriages. A report in 2006 by the National Marriage Project revealed that roughly two-thirds of both married men and married women rate their marriages as "very happy."

Since both my husband and I come from Catholic families, there are still very few divorces among our relatives. That fits with some of the statistics on marriage, according to information on the U.S. Catholic bishops Web site on marriage (www.foryourmarriage.org).

Although at least half of marriages today end in divorce, couples with a religious affiliation are less likely to divorce. Catholics are substantially less likely than other Christian denominations to get divorced (25 percent versus 39 percent).

It is obvious that Catholic couples are indeed role models, not just within the Church but within society as a whole.

Help for couples. One reason Catholic marriages are stronger may be due to the marriage preparation programs. Virtually all Catholic dioceses require some form of marriage preparation for couples who wish to marry in the Catholic Church.

Many married couples serve as mentors to engaged couples, sharing their own life experiences with them. My husband and I have enjoyed serving as FOCCUS couples in our parish for over 18 years and feel we have played a small part in helping young couples get off to a good start.

The Diocese of Madison has expanded its marriage preparation program to provide two retreat days to provide even more education for engaged couples about church teaching.

In addition, I encourage all couples - whether dating, engaged, or married - to visit the U.S. bishops' Web site For Your Marriage. It features lots of excellent resources to help couples build strong marriages.

Although there has been a modest decline in the divorce rate, it still stands at around 50 percent in our country as a whole. That means all happily married couples must continue to teach - by word and example - about the value and importance of married life. I encourage everyone, whether single or married, to pray that God will bless all couples as they strive to lead faith-filled, faithful lives.

Mary C. Uhler

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