The Australian Catholic Marriage and Family Council, an advisory body to the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, is offering sponsorships for couples or individuals to attend this year’s Renaissance of Marriage conference.
As the peak gathering of professionals in the field of marriage preparation, support and enrichment in Australia, Renaissance of Marriage provides an opportunity to be part of the national dialogue on marriage and relationship education for the Catholic Church in Australia.
The conference, to be held in Sydney on July 26 and 27 at the University of Notre Dame Australia, will bring together dedicated leaders, teachers, marriage educators, clergy, counsellors and parents who are passionate about Catholic marriage and want to be part of promoting the marriage culture.
Bishop Michael Kennedy, Bishop Delegate for the ACMFC, said: “We are all aware of the difficulties that married couples and families face in our modern world. Perhaps there has never been a more important time for the Church to accompany and assist couples at all stages of their marriage journey.
“The role of our lay faithful in undertaking this ministry is absolutely necessary and critical. I have found from past experience that the RoM conference is of great assistance to any and all who are interested in this ministry to be inspired, to find support and to share ideas. I commend the conference to all.”
ACMFC chair couple Christopher and Rosina Gordon, who have attended all RoM conferences since its inception, said their own marriage had benefited greatly from their participation.
“The ACMFC wanted to provide sponsorship for couples from remote dioceses to attend the conferences as it will provide them with excellent tips, advice and resources to take back to help them improve marriage education, preparation and enrichment in their local areas,” Mr Gordon explained.
“The conference is also a wonderful opportunity to network with like-minded individuals and groups who are all interested in re-building a thriving culture of good, strong Christian marriages in Australia.
“We have found the presenters and their content to be excellent and informative. All involved with the conference have a passion to help couples improve their married life and thus assist in the effort to re-build society.
“As chair couple of the bishops’ advisory body on marriage and family, we have found information learnt at the RoM conference to be very valuable in helping to shape our advice to the Australian bishops.”
Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP and Kevin Donnelly, a senior research fellow at the Australian Catholic University and one of Australia’s leading education authors and commentators, will be the keynote speakers at this year’s conference.
Other speakers will include: Hobart Archbishop Julian Porteous; Monica Doumit, director of public affairs and engagement for the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney; and Katrina Zeno, the coordinator of the St John Paul II Resource Center for Theology of the Body and Culture for the Diocese of Phoenix, Arizona.
To apply for the sponsorship, visit: https://marriageresourcecentre.org/rom19-acmfc/
With thanks to the ACBC.
