Rob and Mahadi Buthelezi – Family Life Desk Bryanston Catholic Church.

We have been involved with The Family Life Desk since 2011 and have been involved in the Pre – marriage preparation classes at our parish (Parish of the Resurrection), and have managed to offer the course to over four hundred couples in a period of four years since inception. We have via talks at the parish managed to encourage other Family Life facets within the desk such as Caring for the Elderly, Home visits, Alpha Marriage Enrichment, etc.

We host marriage retreats for married couples (newly weds and those married for many years), these take place in order to help couples reflect on their journey together and encourage them to keep on going strong.

With the success of the Marriage Retreats; we are also part of the Archdiocese of Johannesburg’s Family Life Apostolate where we write articles in the AD News on a monthly basis; host workshops and presentations and invite other Family Movements to engage and find a way forward for Family Life into the future.

The Archbishop summoned the Departments of Liturgy and of the Family Life Apostolate to host a Celebratory Family Holy Mass which was held on the 1st of August 2015 at the Cathedral of Christ the King presided over by His Grace, Arch Bishop Buti Tlhagale. Couples celebrating their Gold Jubilees  (over 50 years of marriage) were offered certificates signed by His Grace, and those who celebrated Silver Jubilee (over 25 years of marriage) were also given certificates. All married couples were also given an opportunity to renew their Marriage Vows. This Holy Mass will thus become an annual event as per His Grace’s request.

Couple celebrating over 50 years of marriage exchanging wedding vows on 1st August 2015.

Marriage is under siege today!

Devastation and chaos in families in SA is the norm rather than the exception these days. South Africa has a

dangerously high divorce rate which negatively impacts the family and society as a whole. The good news is ……The Family’s decline can be stopped. The Family Life Desk of the Parish of the Resurrection is working tirelessly together with the Archdiocese of Johannesburg’s Family Life Apostolate to help curb or reduce this challenge faced by our Country. By God’s grace and with your support fellow Parishioners; we can make a difference. The quality of our relationships will to a very great extent determine our quality of life! How fulfilled and happy we are in life is determined mainly by how fulfilled and happy we are in our relationships.

God created man (and woman) to be in relationships with Him and with a significant other and He placed them in a universe where everything exists in relation to something else! God Himself exists within the Trinity – a mysterious relationship – but the fact that our God is a Relational God makes Him unique! Each one of us was created with a deep need to be understood and loved by at least one other person.

 

How do you develop your marriage relationships?

 

* At the core of a fulfilling marriage relationship lies unselfish love which leads to positive and

edifying communication.

* Meaningful communication is impossible if we don’t spend quality time together (quality time = quantity time). This is for both marriage and parenting.

 

* Meaningful communication requires

 

UNDERSTANDING. Understanding comes as we start dropping our masks and being open with our

partners – this can only take place when there is unconditional acceptance of each other!

* To understand one another we have to learn how to listen without the filters of prejudice and

preconceived notions.

 

 

“Because I love you I want to hear your truth”.

* But then it is also important to talk in such a way that our listeners will be able to hear a clear,

constructive message.

 

“Because I love you I want to tell you my truth”

Always ask yourself the question; will what I want to say build or break the relationship?’

Because our God is concerned about our relationships. He did not leave us to struggle on our own.

Through Jesus Christ, He not only made it possible for us to have an intimate relationship with Him, but He also gave us His Spirit to empower us to act differently and to experience fulfilling relationships in our marriage and families! Marriage can be a feast!

 

PRIORITIES FOR GREAT PARENTING

  • Pray
  • Involve
  • Direct
  • Hang in There

 

CHRISTIAN TEENAGERS –

know how to make the right choices Being a teenager today can be difficult, because you have to face peer pressure. Life can become extremely challenging when you want to be cool but being a

Christian labels you as uncool in the secular world. Todays teens have to witness violence, anxiety, eating disorders and depression all on a daily basis. It’s also scary for Christian teenagers to know the

Biblical instruction regarding discipline, but witness teachers floundering as their peers hurl abuse at them. Christian teenagers need strong adults to step up and start speaking up for what they believe.

Friendship is the foundation of any good relationship, and Christian teenagers need to work at making the right friendship choices – building strong relationships with other young Christians who value honesty and trust. They will need to consider how they will behave when the relationship moves to a deeper level.

 

At The Family Life Desk; we know being a teenager is hard, but we also know that teenagers can live a good Christian life and still have fun. We are here to help Our Parish to make the youth ministry exciting – a ministry that teaches teenagers how to live life to the full. With a number of fantastic

resources to turn youth meetings into dynamic exciting events that teenagers will look forward to attending.

 

UP-COMING EVENTS

  • Marriage Workshops,
  • Marriage Retreats,
  • Mens Retreat,
  • Womens Retreat, and
  • Family Fun Day

 

PARISHIONERS ARE INVITED TO JOIN THE FAMILY LIFE DESK AS VOLUNTEERS

 

  • your professional service,
  • skill or your time for the following:
  • Neighbour Brigade Desk,
  • Parenting Desk,
  • Children’ Desk,
  • Health Desk,
  • Marriage Desk,
  • Re – Marriage Desk,
  • Substance Abuse Desk,
  • Bereavement Desk

 

The Family Life Desk also offers the following within the Church:

Pre Marriage Courses

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION; CONTACT Rob and Mahadi Buthelezi

C: (083) 992 0387

E: mahadi.buthelezi@gmail.com

Looking forward to hearing from you.