Church creates foundation to help married couples

CEBU, Philippines - To further strengthen its programs and activities that seek to uphold the sanctity of marriage and family, the Archdiocese of Cebu has created the Marriage, Family and Life - Cebu Archdiocesan Foundation, Inc. (MFL-CAFI) in conjunction with the Commission on Family and Life-Cebu (CFL-Cebu).

"I am happy with the launching of the MFL-CAFI since this will help couples and families for them to be true to their values and beliefs," said Cebu Archbishop José Palma, the appointed chairperson of the foundation's Board of Trustees.

MFL-CAFI President Father Eligio Suico said that there are marriages that end when couples fail to deal with problems. This is more likely to occur when couples are not thoroughly prepared to take the marriage vows.

"We now take time to assist couples-to-be so that there is no reason for them to annul," he said, taking cognizance on the pressing issues of divorce and dissolution of marriage.

He said there is a dire need to address these issues lest they might be taken as normal and eventually mistaken as moral.

He said the commission has various programs and activities lined up that would cater to people experiencing problems with their marriage, their family, or their life in general.

To prepare partners, Suico said the commission assists them in discerning, first, whether they are for the vocation of marriage and; second, whether they are for each other.

"We believe that the preparation stage for marriage is not enough and so we adopted pastoral accompaniment," he said.

Suico said the commission has set several values formation sessions, given that one of the main reasons couples decide to part ways is that they are too consumed with "materialism."

He said couples, especially the newly-weds, are assisted by teaching them life lessons such as how to handle financial matters; how to deal with their in laws; or how to adopt with the growth of their children

Moreover, the foundation wanted to emphasize the importance of family, being the basic unit of society, to nation building.

"If we have weak families, then we will have a weak nation," said Engr. Douglas Gacasan, the foundation's auditor. (FREEMAN)