Actress wishes she had marriage prep

British actress Emma Thompson wishes she and first husband, actor Kenneth Branagh, had underwent marriage prep before they wed:

"I wish that in our society we had more of a tradition of really preparing people for marriage. There's something to be said for preparation for any long journey. You've got to make sure that the boat is sturdy enough not to fall apart halfway across the water. I think if Kenneth and I had had counselling before we got married we might well have thought twice about it."

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Marriage stethoscope

James Cordova, a psychology professor at Clark University in Worcester, says the Marriage Checkup helps couples build on strengths and correct weaknesses.

The Telegram & Gazette takes a look at his Marriage Checkup study:

"Earlier this year, Mr. Cordova was the recipient of a five-year study grant for $1 million from the National Institutes of Health. The Marriage Checkup is based on his theory that, given the stresses and strains of an intimate relationship, marriage perhaps ought to be viewed in the same way as physical or dental health. The Marriage Checkup is intended to assist couples in building on strengths and correcting weaknesses. In Mr. Cordova’s view, couples often can resolve problems themselves once trouble areas are identified.

“It’s appealing to couples that feel like, for the most part, they are doing well but may have one or two things that are a little bothersome to them that have been there for a while and want to get a third person’s perspective on that.”

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Stable Marriage and Happy Kids

"The increasing trend toward cohabitation as an alternative to marriage brings with it severe disadvantages for children. The latest confirmation of how children suffer when brought up outside a stable marriage between a man and a woman came in a lengthy article published Nov. 18 by the Associated Press."

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Inside a Kansas marriage enrichment course

"Too many people get the newlywed part, and when that wears off, they make it too easy to walk in and get a divorce," Betty Brungardt said. "Marriage is the most important part of your life."

It's why learning how to be a better spouse seemed worth the time when Don and Betty Brungardt and Eva and Curtis Heckel signed up for the 13-week marriage enrichment class. Both were part of the first year of Garden City's class, which is offered through a federal grant, operated through Catholic Social Service, that works to educate couples on tools for a healthy marriage.

The program recognizes that all couples struggle, he said. All have challenges and conflict. The curriculum gives couples the tools to identify problems when they begin, so they can take concrete steps to resolve it, Duxler said.

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Pope: Defend marriage, family life at all costs

Pope Benedict XVI had a special message for Africa in his meeting with the bishops of Kenya today. As the bishops completed their “ad limina” visit, the Pope exhorted them to defend “at all costs” the institutions of marriage and family life, which are under attack from the “globalized secular culture”.

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Deck the halls for a stronger marriage

"Couples that participate in and find meaning in religious holiday rituals, such as decorating the home for the holidays or lighting candles, may be making their marriages stronger."

Here's hoping couples also find the meaning in the religion behing the rituals...

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More anti-marriage garbage from the Globe

"According to two Massachusetts sociologists, being single is better for the world than being married....

It's not just that singles conserve plastic bubble wrap and cardboard boxes by never registering for wedding gifts. It's that we're more community-oriented. While couples, especially childless ones, often focus on their marriage to the exclusion of other social ties, singles spread their energy over a broader sphere. Singles are more likely to help out friends and family. We are also more politically active and more helpful to our elderly parents than our married siblings. The study's authors conclude that while marriage may indeed offer important supports to the two people involved, it may not be the societal bedrock we've long imagined it to be."

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Any story that starts with 'According to two Massachusetts sociologists...' is sure to give me heartburn - Melissa

US Bishops start new chastity education program for students

"The USCCB announced at the end of their annual meeting in Baltimore this week the introduction of a new chastity education program for helping Catholic schools and other institutions develop curricula. The program, titled, “Catechetical Formation in Chaste Living: Guidelines for Curriculum and Publication Design,” will form the basis of curricula for high school teaching on chastity.

The USCCB says the guidelines address education in “morality and virtue” focusing on formation for young people in faith and morals and the virtues required for chaste living. "

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Globally, 70% believe marriage is for life

According to over 25,000 consumers polled online in 46 countries last December:

Seventy percent of people surveyed say that marriage is for life (with American consumers topping the list at 78%) and three out of five (60%) saying that marriage is one of their lifetime goals.

Survey results indicate that the concept of marriage today might be largely dominated by a country’s cultural and religious beliefs – with very opposing views among consumers in the developed West and emerging East.

Another surprising result is that in the USA, more men than women believed that marriage is for life and relevant in today’s society.

Muslim and Catholic strongholds in Asia top global rankings for believing that marriage ‘is for life’, lead by Indonesians (97%), and Filipinos and Malaysians (both 89%).

The news isn't so good in Western Europe:

Over 70% of Portuguese and Italians and 60% of Spaniards say marriage is irrelevant today – and of those who make it to the church altar, only one in three Portuguese and Spaniards believe that marriage is for life! In Italy, only half (48%) believe that marriage today will last a lifetime.

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Please can I return this husband?

"Buy a sweater at H&M and you don't expect it to last forever, but it will look good on you for the time being. With Sweden's high divorce rate, Swedes have a pretty similar attitude to spouses, says Sarah Tarnowski.

Some 55% of all Swedish marriages will end in divorce, giving Sweden the highest divorce rate in the Western world, according to the latest statistics. In the U.S. this figure is 46%; in Italy it is just 10%. If you factor in the number of Swedish couples who choose never to marry, but live and have children together, then break-up, the 'dissolution rate' becomes even higher.

People, who don't marry, don't officially divorce and therefore bypass being registered as broken marriages. Only about 60% of Swedish women will ever marry, thus the out of wedlock birthrate hovers around 50%.

Statistically, Swedes divorce more, marry less, and have more out of wedlock children than any other industrialized Western nation."

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'Bella' opens in local theatres

"Bella," an award-winning independent movie with a pro-life message, opened in Massachusetts theatres this past Friday.

It has attracted a lot of buzz and praise, and The Pilot calls it: "beautiful, hopeful and [upholds] the dignity of the human person."

“Bella” chronicles the life of Jose, who experiences a tragedy that changes his entire life and destroys his budding soccer career. He becomes a chef, working in his brother’s New York City restaurant, and befriends one of the waitresses, Nina, who is fired for arriving late. He discovers that the reason for her tardiness is that she is pregnant. Without the support of the child’s father, Nina believes her only choice is abortion. Jose listens patiently to her concerns, shares his own tragedy and realizes that his pain is an opportunity to save the life of this child.

Click here to see where it's playing in your area and here for the movie's official site.

Check out the movie trailer below:

Few show up to divorce fair

The much-ballyhooed world's first Divorce Fair proved to be a bust:

"Journalists easily outnumbered those looking for advice on how to end their marriage on the first day of the weekend event, including some from Britain, Italy and Switzerland. Only a few dozen clients meandered through the two conference rooms of a downtown luxury hotel in the space of an hour, and bemused exhibitors were kept busy mostly by TV crews lining up to interview them."

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