Tag: Marriage
Relationship repair always has two sides
Periods of disconnection are an unfortunate part of every marriage. Relationship Repair takes both an initiator and receiver.
Francine and Byron Pirola: Stonewalling is a silent killer in marriage
Stonewalling – aka ‘the silent treatment’ – is common in many marriages. Never helpful and poorly understood, we ignore it at our risk.
Monica Doumit: In 50 years, marriage culture has all but disappeared...
If a marriage culture disappears from Australia in the next couple of generations, we will be relying on the witness of the lives of people like my parents to proclaim the goodness and the importance of marriage, says Monica Doumit.
Repairing the damage of defensiveness
Byron recently shared a new idea with Francine. Instead of encouragement, Francine responded with, “When will you get time to do that?!”
Francine and Byron Pirola: True confessions of an Advent failure
Advent is full of opportunities for spiritual nourishment. There’s community celebrations, family gatherings and beautiful church services.
Catholic dating needs discernment, not desperation
“Desperation.” That’s the word a wise church elder recently used, in describing the attitude of some youth towards marriage.
Sebastian Condon: As a newlywed, I’ve discovered marriage is a ‘triumphant...
My wife and I were married in early October this year. This naturally meant that every conversation we’ve had with anyone over the previous...
Anthony Cleary: Anniversaries matter, so let’s celebrate!
Anniversaries are a wonderful thing and a cause for great celebration. We celebrate them for years of marriage, vocation and work.
Francine and Byron Pirola: During tough conversations it doesn’t help to...
When conflict arises in a marriage, it’s not uncommon for us to seek validation for being upset and look for ways to justify our complaint.
Simcha Fisher: In adulthood as in spiritual life, we must unlearn...
When you are young, you think that becoming an adult is going to be a series of learning how to do important things, and getting better and better at doing those things.
Francine and Byron Pirola: Vulnerability’s risky, but criticism kills
We’ve all experienced the negative impact of criticism, especially from loved ones. Sadly, it’s been present in our marriage and family far too often.
Retreat to show You Are Not Alone
Kevin and Helen Wagner were so ready for children after their marriage in 2005 that Helen “sobbed for days” the first time she realised they had not conceived.