Marriage focus groups to help bishops' initiative

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
September 1, 2005

The Diocese of Sioux City as well as dioceses throughout the United States will participate in the National Pastoral Initiative on Marriage that was initiated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

With assistance from the Adult and Family Ministries Advisory Board and other volunteers, the diocese will participate in the initiative.

"In November of 2004, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops approved a proposal from the Committee on Marriage and Family that they would undertake a multi-year National Pastoral Initiative on Marriage in 2005," said Bev Hurni, director of adult and family ministries for the diocese. "There are several steps to this and in the end, the bishops may be writing a pastoral letter on marriage."

The committee is seeking input from bishops, theologians, social scientists, educators and communications experts.

"Also a major part of this will be the forming of focus groups throughout the country and hearing from people in the 'grass roots' who have either experienced marriage or hope to experience marriage," said Hurni.

The purpose is to give local input to U.S. Bishops National Pastoral Initiative on Marriage. Participants in the small groups will respond to questions posed by the bishops and give direction to diocesan efforts to support the vocation of marriage.

Each focus group is limited to 10 to 12 participants and will be coordinated through personal invitation, rather than an opening meeting format.

"In a smaller group people are more free to share," said Hurni.

According to Hurni, there needs to be a common factor among the people in each focus group. One group may be all newly married couples, another might be remarried couples and another may be couples who have been married over 20 years or 40 years. There will also be a couple of groups of divorced people along with a few groups of single young adults who hope to marry. She added that there is a hope to have focus groups of Spanish-speaking couples and interchurch couples.

"All the groups will be held sometime between September and November," said Hurni. "Our reports need to be in Washington by the end of December."

Vera Ludwig, coordinator of family programs in the Diocese of Sioux City, added that the goal is to get the focus groups in before Thanksgiving.

Comments from the focus groups will be summarized and forwarded to the Committee on Marriage and Family Life, which will use them to help shape the pastoral letter.

"The bishops are looking at the current debate on same-sex unions. Because of that debate there is new public interest in the nature and purposes and value of marriage," said Hurni. "There are also some pastoral issues that the church wants to speak about and that would be the high rate of divorce and the rapid increase in cohabitation. They want to promote marriage as a life-giving, life-long union that is essential for the well-being of children and families and for society as a whole."

She continued that the focus groups give the bishops the benefit of hearing from people about their experiences of how the church has strengthened their marriage, helps them and what challenges them in their marriage.

"This is an opportunity for voices to be heard," said Ludwig. "It is an opportunity to be able to share your experience. Everybody's experience is a little different. It is an opportunity to be able to tell why we value marriage in the Midwest, why we value marriage in the Sioux City Diocese and how we see it as not only valuable but as a vocation and a sacrament."

Information about the Pastoral Initiative on Marriage has been sent out to priests and pastoral ministers in the diocese. Hurni noted that if pastors wish to host a focus group in their parish, they can express that interest.

"People are welcome to call our office and express the desire to be in a group and we will place them in a group," said Hurni.

For additional information on the project or about participating in a group, call Ludwig at (712) 233-7532 or Hurni at (712) 233-7531 in the Adult and Family Ministries Office. More information about the Pastoral Initiative on Marriage is available at http://www.usccb.org/laity/marriage/pastoralinitiative.htm.