Parenting & Family Life

Programs

Two interactive parenting courses are available to be delivered by the Archdiocese online, during lunch hour, upon request. Or you can organise to run a group yourself in your parish.

These are:
  • The Parenting Children Course (0-10 years)
  • The Parenting Teenagers Course (11-18 years).
Archdiocesan facilitated courses:
  • Are run over 10 weeks  x 1 hour, via zoom, during lunch hour
  • Include a workbook and practical tools to strengthen families
  • Include video presentations by course creators Nicky & Sila Lee plus interviews with parents and parenting experts
  • Include time to connect with other parents, discuss the content and complete exercises
Find out more at https://www.marriagecourse.org.au/more-courses

To express an interest in participating in or running a parenting course in this Archdiocese contact us here.

Find out more at https://www.marriagecourse.org.au/more-courses
The Messy Family Project is a Catholic ministry based in the US offering a variety of resources for families.

The Family Board Meeting is a 5 week course offered online from time to time. It is designed to help parents become intentional about their vision, goals, and strategies for their family life.

The next course starts Friday April 9 and runs till Friday May 7 but is on during the daytime in Australia (8pm-9:30pm Thurdays, Eastern Time, USA).

The cost is around $160 AUD and the Archdiocese is currently offering a 50% sponsorship to families who would like to try it out for us.

Course Schedule (5 x 90 minute sessions)
  1. Welcome and Opening Session "Affirm & Assess"
  2. Session 2 "Answering the Call to Greatness"
  3. Session 3 "Family Culture & Goals"
  4. Session 4 "Discerning Your Family's Priorities"
  5. Session 5 "Making it a Reality"
To receive sponsorship:
  • apply and pay online HERE by March 31st (remember to use the intlcode as an overseas participant)
  • send your receipt to lara.kirk@cg.org.au to receive a 50% refund within 14 days.
CatholicCare’s Parenting Groups can help you strengthen your parenting skills to manage the variety of circumstances that can be thrown your way. Our groups also give parents the opportunity to share your parenting experiences and tips for managing challenging situations.

The 4 courses we currently offer are:
  • Bringing up Great Kids (BUGK), a parenting program for parents with younger children
  • The Circle of Security is a relationship model of parenting which educates parents in the importance of building positive and strong relationships with children, with a focus on compassion, inner strength, evidence based psychological education and self-reflection
  • The Tuning into Kids parenting course teaches parents about parenting styles and how to tune into children’s emotions through simple and practical steps
  • The RAP-P program’s objective is to assist parents with adolescents through enhancing communication skills, preventing conflict and increasing harmony in a family unit
There may be a fee associated with this service, contact us on 6162 6100 for further information.

Funded partly by the Australian Government Department of Social Services

GRoups & movements

In Amoris Laetitia Pope Francis celebrates the way Catholic groups, movements and communities “strengthen marriages and help them to grow” and how this, in turn, enables couples “ to be generous, to assist other families and to share the faith” (AL 229).

In the Archdiocese of Canberra Goulburn we are blessed with many groups and movements which promote and support the lay vocation of Marriage and family life.

The Catechesis of the Good Shepherd (CGS) is a faith process for children of 3-12 years of age and complements the role of parents as the first teachers of faith. It has its foundation in the Montessori method and sessions occur in a specially prepared children’s prayer space called an atrium.

Level I (3-6 years)
  • Provides faith formation to children after baptism and before formal religious education starts in schools and introduces children to the Liturgy of the Mass and the scriptural image of Jesus as our Good Shepherd
  • Caters to the needs of younger children and forms the foundation for Levels II and III

  • Levels II (6 – 9 years) & III (9 – 12 years)
  • Gives participants the opportunity to respond to the call of faith prayerfully and artistically
  • Gathers them in their own Catholic Christian community.
  • Has Jesus, the True Vine as the central theme
  • Encourages building a personal relationship with the Good Shepherd
  • Encourages strengthening the sense of community, particularly as they approach teenage years

  • Sessions run weekly during school term, with Level 1 sessions held in the mornings, and Levels 2 and 3 sessions, held after school at Our Lady of the Annunciation Atrium, at St John Vianney’s Primary School Waramanga.
  • Parental contributions are requested to help sustain this ministry. Sponsorship is available if this would exclude any families from participating
  • Catechists and helpers are always welcomed to assist in this ministry
  • Donations as a one-off, regular, or annual contribution to support this ministry would be very welcome
  • Please contact us if you are in a position to sponsor children/families unable to contribute towards the parental contribution

  • Contact
    Email canberraatrium@gmail.com
    National website: https://cgsaust.org.au/
    Couples for Christ is a lay Catholic community comprising of couples and their families, kids, youth, singles, and mature men and women. In a spirit of mutual responsibility for the growth of the Catholic Community in Australia (and Oceania), Couples For Christ continues its support in making Church life relevant to the family. CFC shares its gifts through missionary works and services and by conducting family evangelisation programs.

    Don & Carmie Velasco
    0420 829 393
    www.cfc-australia.org.au
    The Disciples of Jesus is a Catholic charismatic community of people from all states of life—married, single, priests and consecrated life.

    The Community seeks to create a culture that is supportive of marriage and family life, by facilitating a lifestyle that promotes Christian marriage and Christian values. The fruit of this life is seen in strong marriages and families, and a youth culture built on faith based friendships.

    We experience many large communal celebrations of weddings and consecrated life.

    Peter & Judy Mullins
    Mobile: 0403 851 917
    Email: dojcanberra@gmail.com
    Website: http://dojcommunity.com/
    YouTube: http://bit.ly/DoJYouTube
    Faith and Light International is a group that started in France and supports spirituality for people with a disability.

    When difficult situations arise that are difficult, worrisome, unable to be recognised, we react in a wide variety of ways, including guilt, criticism, shame, discouragement, resignation, a sense of injustice and anger. These responses bring us away from an area where God resides and prevent us from seeing God in others.

    Faith and Light helps us learn to see in all others, and specifically in those with disabilities and with whom we grow in love. In our world of individualism and competition Faith and Light proposes to turn toward the smallest, the humble, the wounded and those who are put aside by Society.

    Contact
    Pam Barker
    Provincial Co-ordinator, Faith & Light International, Province of the Southern Cross of Australia and New Zealand
    02) 4464 3812 OR 0408 979 337
    https://www.foietlumiere.org
    The Focolare Movement is a global ecclesial movement, established within the Catholic Church, which espouses a Gospel based spirituality. Members seek to witness to and bring about the realisation of Jesus’ prayer, “May they all be one … so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.” [Jn 17:21]. The official ecclesial title of the Movement is ‘Work of Mary’.

    The Focolare movement seeks to bring about this communion among its members, within the Catholic Church, between the Christian Churches, among persons of different religions and with non-believers. Its members, whilst predominantly Catholic, include people from all denominations and religions as well as non-believers who are attracted to its ideals.

    In relation to marriage and family life, the New families Movement of the Focolare runs youth, pre-marriage and marriage formation, as well as having diverse international projects focussing on families in need.

    Keith & Anna Linard
    0412 376 317
    linard.keith@gmail.com
    https://www.focolare.org/famiglienuove/en/
    An international private association of the faithful which is active in over 30 countries. Jesus Youth is missionary in nature and has a special focus on evangelizing today’s youth, promoting an active Christian way of life, and commitment to mission. Since it's inception in 1985 Jesus Youth has evolved into family ministries as members moved on to accept the calling of marriage in their personal lives. All countries have active family ministries which are focused on building Christ centred bases of evangelization.

    Anju Francis
    0470 455 579
    jyanjufrancis@gmail.com
    “The catechumens of the first centuries were a very important reality for the Church. What they did for the faith in those days the Neocatechumenal communities are doing today” (St John Paul II, 1980).

    “I recognise the Neocatechumenal Way as an itinerary of Catholic formation valid for our society and for our times” (St John Paul II, 1990).

    Gerald & Tania Scerri
    0426 236 662
    geraldscerri@gmail.com
    Passionist Family Groups take the words of Jesus “Love one another as I have loved you” to heart. It is an opportunity to build relationships with fellow parishioners; a place where the members can be relaxed, sit down and talk, share and listen to each other. It is a place where the members can share their joys and their more difficult times and experience the support and comfort of the group members.

    The Passionist Family Group Movement takes “A Family for all” as its motto. The Groups provide an extended family for all who wish to belong; couples or those on their own, children with their parents are most welcome. There is a giving and receiving by all members of the group to each other. In fact, everyone is welcome to join.

    Family Groups create a network where everybody knows at least a number of families well and this improves the atmosphere of the parish. They bring a happy loving spirit within the parish. They also contribute to promoting the life of the parish community as they are parish based.

    Contact
    Dennis & Mary Morris
    0407050651 (Dennis)
    0438631657 (Mary)
    dennisandmarymorris@gmail.com
    www.pfgm.org
    The St Vincent de Paul Society is strongly committed to giving those families who are experiencing hardship and difficulties, a hand up. You may be interested in joining our wonderful group of volunteers who support families in our region every day of the year.

    For more information about youth programs, special works programs, Emergency Relief and the Vinnies Centres please visit the website listed under contacts below.

    For information on how the St Vincent de Paul Society can support you and your family flourish, please use the phone number listed under contacts.

    Contact
    (02) 6282 2722
    https://www.vinnies.org.au/
    A lay movement within the Catholic Church that offers couples a chance to discover the Lord’s presence in their marriage and to live in Christian fellowship with other couples as a way of giving thanks to God and bearing witness to Him in the world.

    http://www.teamsoceania.com.au/

    Contact:
    John & Alex Eyers
    (G) 0408 497 899
    jeyers@webone.com.au