COURTESY OF THE OFFICE OF MARRIAGE & FAMILY LIFE
Diocese’s support ministries here to help when life is difficult
Ministries include accompaniment for miscarriage grief, freedom from pornography, pain of divorce
BY DANNY MAY, OFFICE OF MARRIAGE & FAMILY LIFE
Life is full of joy and wonder. But every family experiences struggles and setbacks at some point. We all need help sometimes, a listening ear, and support from someone who’s already been down that road.
The Diocese of Owensboro’s support ministries can be your guide to finding hope and healing when life happens and issues arise. Whether you, or someone you love, is facing miscarriage, infertility, child loss of any age, pornography addiction, or are still struggling with the effects of your divorce or the divorce of your parents, there is a support ministry just for you.
If you need professional counseling, we’ve also got a network of therapists we will happily refer you to. All of this information and more can be found on the Diocese of Owensboro’s support ministries page at https://owensborodiocese.org/support-counseling-services/.
Below is a quick overview of our support ministries along with links for more information.
Red Bird Ministries (Miscarriage and Child Loss)
Red Bird Ministries serves ordinary families who have been given an extraordinary cross to carry through the loss of a child from pregnancy through adulthood. Red Bird is a non-profit, Catholic grief support ministry that offers a website full of resources and a downloadable app to help those in a cloud of grief find community and support.
https://owensborodiocese.org/red-bird-ministry/ and https://www.redbird.love/
Springs in the Desert (Infertility Support)
Springs in the Desert is a Catholic infertility ministry that serves as a place of respite, solidarity, and encouragement wherever you are on the path of infertility or pregnancy loss. The website, blog, podcast, and virtual events create community and walk couples through infertility.
https://springsinthedesert.org/
Life-Giving Wounds (Adult Children of Divorce Support)
Life-Giving Wounds is a retreat ministry for adult children of divorce or separation. Their mission is to help young adults and adults with divorced and separated parents give voice to their pain and find deep spiritual healing through retreats, support groups, and events. The next local Life-Giving Wounds retreat is Aug 18-20th in Evansville, Indiana, co-sponsored by the Diocese of Owensboro.
https://owensborodiocese.org/life-giving-wounds/
Retrouvaille (A Lifeline for Marriages in Crisis)
The word Retrouvaille (pronounced re-tro-vi with a long i) is a French word meaning rediscovery. The program offers tools needed to rediscover a loving marriage relationship. Couples headed for cold, unloving relationships or divorce have successfully overcome their marriage problems by attending the program.
https://owensborodiocese.org/marriage-help/
Clean Heart Initiative (Freedom from Pornography)
The Office of Marriage & Family Life launched the Clean Heart Initiative in 2019 as a strategic plan to combat the prevalence of pornography. CleanHeartInitiative.com equips parents to have conversations with their children early and often about the effects of pornography and offers resources like internet filtering to keep kids safer online. The site also serves as a guide for those struggling with pornography, walking them toward their first steps on the journey toward freedom and recovery.
https://cleanheartinitiative.org/
Rachel’s Vineyard and Project Rachel (Post-Abortion Ministry/Support)
Rachel’s Vineyard offers post-abortion healing retreats for women and men who are suffering from the lingering effects of abortion. The weekend retreat will combine discussions, spiritual exercises, the sacrament of reconciliation, a Memorial Service and a Mass of Entrustment of our Children to Jesus. Participation is strictly confidential and offers a beautiful opportunity to experience God’s love, forgiveness and compassion.
https://owensborodiocese.org/post-abortion-ministry/
Counseling Assistance Program
Catholic Charities of Owensboro offers a unique counseling assistance program called CAP. Through CAP, Catholic Charities collaborates with several counselors across western Kentucky who offer their services at a reduced rate for parishioners of the Diocese of Owensboro. Catholic Charities and many parishes supplement this discounted rate for up to 6 counseling sessions. Even if a client has insurance or can bill Medicare and therefore doesn’t qualify for CAP, you can use this list to see who we would recommend for a counselor.
https://owensborodiocese.org/counseling/
Danny May is the director of the Office of Marriage & Family Life in the Diocese of Owensboro. He may be reached at [email protected].
