KIRKLANDBy Susan Eick
Keeping a Catholic marriage strong was a hot topic at Holy Family Parish Aug. 5 — more than 265 people showed up to hear Sarah Bartel talk about “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Marriages.”
“I think the success and quality of marriage affects each of us at such a profound level that I want to help strengthen it,” said Bartel, a parishioner at St. Andrew Parish in Sumner who holds a doctorate in Moral Theology and Ethics from The Catholic University of America.
“We’ve got at least two generations [of Catholics] who don’t understand what the church teaches about marriage,” she said. “I want to encourage people to do everything they can to nurture sacramental marriage in the church.”
Bartel, who specializes in marriage, family, sexual ethics and bioethics, advocates these habits for keeping a marriage strong: good communication skills, working together on money management, effectively managing conflict, sharing faith and values, respecting the sanctity of sex, using natural family planning, and growing in holiness and virtue.
Bartel also talked about the benefits of marriage for couples, including greater physical health, financial well-being and happiness.
“We’ve heard from various husbands who have been remembering to kiss their wives every morning,” said Pam Gunderson, evangelization coordinator for Holy Family Parish. “Dr. Bartel mentioned that that one practice has been shown to extend male lifespan, so I guess it was a suggestion with staying power.”
Strong marriages are also important for children and society, Bartel said. “We have so much child poverty in Washington state. Living in poverty is correlated to the child’s mother and father not being married to each other,” she explained.
As more Catholics discover the church’s teachings on marriage, Bartel believes that knowledge will transform marriages. “I have this great hope for a whole new generation of Catholics to understand, live and be really excited about sacramental marriage,” she said. “It has potential to transform and bring new life to the Catholic Church for generations to come.”
Read more about Sarah Bartel’s advice for successful marriages at www.drsarahbartel.com.
August 16, 2013