Concern about marriage is overdue

At last we have something concrete to support the obvious (CR, Feb 21). As a result of a recent study of 1,008 married couples, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz was able to conclude that “We must find ways to offer couples a more integrated, continuous, and varied ministry that will help them grow in happiness and holiness through the entire life cycle of a marriage.”

Having each been Catholic for 70-plus years and married for 52 years with 10 children and 33 grandchildren to our credit, my wife and I could have saved the bishops the cost of the study.

The concern about marriage is way overdue even though Pope John Paul II left a legacy of his Theology of the Body to address the problem. Maybe regular and repeated homilies that address marriage as a sacrament, parenting as an honored vocation, and family as a life-long commitment with highly regarded and important rights and responsibilities would be a good place to start. I cannot remember ever hearing such a homily on Sunday. It would surely be uplifting and challenging for married couples, as well as couples to be, to feel that their chosen vocation is also important in the grand scheme of things.