Marriage Care lobbies synod for ‘baptism prep’

Marriage Care, the Catholic counselling charity, has lobbied bishops at the Synod on the Family in Rome for better marriage preparation and more catechesis for parents ahead of their child’s baptism, writes Paul Wilkinson.

Mark Molden, chief executive of Marriage Care, and senior colleagues have been in Rome this week for the synod, where they presented a briefing paper on their organisation’s 70 years’ experience and how they meet the challenges of present-day society.

In the briefing paper, they observed that marriage in the United Kingdom was under strain, but said that marriage preparation was an opportunity for the Church to reconnect with people whose faith had grown cold.
Molden told The Tablet that a cultural trend towards delaying marriage presented the Church with a challenge and was a “complete reversal” of attitudes towards marriage just a few decades ago.

He said there was a need for more trained lay counsellors in particular, adding: “We are not preparing couples sufficiently. We need to invest in supporting couples along their journey.”

The briefing paper also called for the synod to recognise the role of specialist lay ministries such as Marriage Care.

It also urged better preparation for parents ahead of their children’s baptism, along the lines of the preparation offered before marriage, saying: “Baptism, of the first child in particular, offers another opportunity to require parents to reflect on and strengthen their marital relationship.”