Facilitator couple Stacey Freels (foreground) and her husband, Larry Freels (background) speak with couples during a Grace Marriage session at St. Pius X Parish in Owensboro on Feb. 12, 2022. RILEY GREIF | WKC
Diocese hosting Grace Marriage ‘Come and See’ events
Steve and Karen Hollman participate in a Grace Marriage session at St. Pius X Parish in Owensboro on Feb. 12, 2022. RILEY GREIF | WKC
BY WKC STAFF
It’s been a busy couple months for the Office of Marriage & Family Life, building off the excitement from receiving a $10,000 matching grant from the Catholic Marriage Initiative Fund. One of the projects the grant money will be used for is introducing Grace Marriage to new areas of the Diocese of Owensboro.
Grace Marriage is a quarterly, ongoing, small group approach to marriage ministry where couples spend intentional time every 90 days in conversation focusing on their marriage. After piloting the process with 22 couples in 2019, the diocese has since expanded to 50 couples currently participating in five groups located in the cities of Owensboro, Whitesville and Henderson.
Using grant money, the Office of Marriage & Family Life now hopes to expand Grace Marriage to other parts of the diocese by hosting completely free Grace Marriage “Come and See” events at Gasper River Catholic Retreat Center in Bowling Green, John Paul II Catholic School in Union County and at St. Leo Parish in Murray.
Grace Marriage participants at St. Pius X Parish in Owensboro on Feb. 12, 2022. RILEY GREIF | WKC
“A ‘Come & See’ event is a chance for couples to see what Grace Marriage is all about before committing to a group,” says Danny May, the director of Marriage & Family Life. “It’s easier for someone to experience Grace Marriage and ‘get it’ than it is to explain it to someone. That’s what a Come & See event is for.”
To give couples a glimpse of what a Grace Marriage session is like, the diocese’s Office of Communications produced a 30-second promotional video featuring couples from the Diocese of Owensboro.
Dates, locations, and times for the upcoming Come & See events, along with promotional videos for each location, are as follows:
Date: Saturday, March 26th
Time: 9 a.m. – noon
Location: Gasper River Catholic Retreat Center
Couples from the Bowling Green/Warren County, Butler, Logan, Todd, Allen and Simpson Counties are invited.
Date: Sunday, March 27th
Time: 5 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Location: John Paul II Catholic School
Couples from all Union County parishes (and surrounding areas) are invited.
Date: Saturday, April 23rd
Time: 1 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Location: St. Leo Parish
Couples from Murray, the Lakes area, Paducah, and surrounding areas are invited.
These Come & See events are free and open to any married couple in the diocese. Each event is identical, so couples can attend whichever event is closest to them. For more information about Grace Marriage, or to RSVP, please visit: Grace Marriage – Diocese of Owensboro.
RSVPs are requested so we can prepare enough food.
For additional questions, contact Danny May in the Office of Marriage & Family Life.
Learn more about the Diocese of Owensboro’s Office of Marriage & Family Life at https://owensborodiocese.org/office-of-marriage-family-life/.
