OUR MISSION

To invite the Church as a whole and families in the Church to greater awareness of the family as the domestic church.

To source or provide suitable material to help families to enrich, inform and develop their own spirituality of relationships and of daily life.

Marfam’s Publications:

Our Regulars:

The Magazine – Marriage and Family Living, and the Family Matters Newsletters contain topical articles, suggestions, ideas and information about family matters, resources for marriage and family enrichment and also where to find help in times of trouble.

The free e-newsletter will enable readers to engage in correspondence and send in ideas and material that they may wish to share with others.

To be on our mailing list and join in the correspondence complete the subscription form or send us an email – info@marfam.org.za or marfam@icon.co.za

Also available are booklets for reflection and sharing which contain activities that can be used by family people at the liturgical seasons of Advent-Christmas and Lent-Easter.

The Family Calendar is produced on behalf of the SA Catholic Bishops Conference Family Life Desk.

The theme for the 2008 Calendar is Me and My Family.

Monthly themes on a variety of family topics are developed further by means of brief weekly, family-focused reflections on the liturgical readings of the Sundays and main feastdays.

These are posted on the website in the Calendar section in English and are available in various local languages on request.

Click here to submit a request online.

Special Publications:

The Liturgies, prayers and blessings section has, as the name implies, suggestions for paraliturgies and special prayers and blessings for particular events or occasions.

For example Mother’s Day, Grandparents’ blessing and so on.

The booklet EVERY CHILD A NEW SMILE contains six sessions for small group faith-sharing. It is based on a range of family topics, including marriage, divorce, abortion, parenting, the elderly and abuse. The material is also built loosely around the liturgical readings of weeks 21 – 27 Cycle B.

It has been translated into Afrikaans, Sotho and Zulu.

Need further info? Click here

The booklet PARENTING – A LABOUR OF LOVE is in faith-sharing format and contains six sessions that can be used in families and other groups on the theme of Parenting that was adopted for the 2004 International Year of the Family.

The booklet AIDS STRIKES AT THE HEART contains reflections and sharing questions on the impact of AIDS on family life.

The Poems page on the website is updated with poems either written by Toni Rowland or others. Please take a few minutes to read through them.

Other publications may be listed under Publications.

Visit there for more information about the various publications.

Current news and other items will be added to the website from time to time. So be sure to check the website regularly!

Need subscription info for the magazine and other publications? Visit the Subscription Page.

Marfam’s Projects:

There are some Projects to assist in networking, promoting and assisting others engaged in furthering the needs of married couples and families.

Some of these projects are:

• Helping parents and religious educators with SEXUALITY AND HIV/AIDS EDUCATION
• Collaborating with the Family Life Desk of the SA Catholic Bishops’ Conference in awareness raising and providing resource materials e.g. to help parishes develop a PARISH FAMILY MINISTRY.
• Producing other incidental publications and leaflets for reflection and faith sharing.
• Giving retreats, talks and workshops on aspects of family life.A widowed programme is presently being developed.
• Lobbying within and beyond the Catholic network for greater awareness and support for marriage and for family needs, keeping in mind the words of Pope John Paul II, surely THE pope for the family.“The future of the Church and of the world is through the family. Families become what you are, the little church of the home.”

  MARFAM has links with other marriage and family movements and is happy to promote other movements too. If you would like us to publish information or link to our website please let us know.