Services & Resources

Family Support Organizations and Movements
Greater Houston Healthy Marriage Coalition
The Greater Houston Healthy Marriage Coalition (GHHMC) is an organization whose mission involves promoting healthy marriages and strengthening relationships for those  in the greater Houston area.  In addition to members representing the largest relevant non-profit organizations, such as Family Services, DePelchin Children's Center, the Archdiocese of Galveston Houston, Catholic Charities, and others, there are four standing committees that represent the interests of Houston's largest ethnic populations (African American, Hispanic, Asian American) as well as one that represents the needs of married couples and families who are new to the Houston area.  A website is being created to advertise marriage education classes that are being presented in the greater Houston area; please contact Dr. Daphne Lambert at (713) 802-7852 for additional information about the coalition.

FAMILIA (Family Life In America)
FAMILIA is a family-to-family non-profit organization. Its programs are tailored to meet the needs of families and foster positive growth of family members.

FAMILIA is committed to strengthening the family by providing focused information and practical tools that can be implemented in daily life.  Current programs include "Mothers of Young Children" and "Husbands and Fathers." Mothers and fathers meet separately in Family Life Teams twice a month from October to May. Both are four-year programs and the cost is $45 per year. Each year of the program focuses on various teachings of the Church on the family and marriage along with associated catechesis.  Both programs also offer several Days of Reflection for women and A.M. Reflections for men during the course of the year. There are also various Family Social Events that are held each year (Family Valentine's Dance, Family Praise and Worship Social, May Crowning, etc.).

FAMILIA is currently in 16 parishes with over 500 participants in the Houston area. For more information on how to start FAMILIA in your parish contact Brad and Julia Misley at jmisley@famillink.com. For general information about FAMILIA, please visit www.familiausa.net. To view the FAMILIA video on family, visit www.familiausa.net/VIDEO/med.wmv

Houston Family Foundation
Their mission is to provide encouragement and tools for the great adventure of parenting. They serve Christ-centered parents of children ages 0-18 in and around the Houston Metropolitan Area.

For more information contact Paolo Sanchez (713) 775-0969

Richard Gosselin (281) 855-1990 or visit www.houstonfamilyfoundation.org

Movimiento Familiar Cristiano
This movement helps families live their Christian faith and values. For more information contact Juan and Teresa Rodriguez jytrdz@hotmail.com or visit www.cimfc.org.
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Networks
Family Ministry Network
The Family Ministry Network is a loosely connected group of parish staff persons and volunteers who have the responsibility for marriage and family ministry in their respective parishes. The Family Life office supports their work through offering occasional networking lunches, free resources for parish bulletins, and priority communication about upcoming workshops. Call (713) 741-8711 or e-mail mroman@archgh.org.

Online Support for Grief Network
It is an integrated approach to on-line grief support that provides help to people working through loss and grief issues of many kinds. Visit www.griefnet.org.

Catholic Parents OnLine
A non-profit organization consisting of Catholic parents, grandparents, and friends of Catholic education, Catholic Parents OnLine is dedicated to the Catholic education of our children and grandchildren. In full union with the Magisterium on the teachings of the Catholic faith, Catholic Parents OnLine began in 1998 because of the many challenging issues that oftentimes frustrate today's parents. Visit www.catholicparents.org.
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Speakers
If you are in need of a speaker in any topic on family, marriage matters, please contact us; the Family Life office will help you in this search. Below you may find a list of resources that may be helpful.

Family Life Ministry - Archdiocese of Galveston Houston
FLM provides written materials, consultation and team training. Call (713) 741-8711 or e-mail mroman@archgh.org.

Joseph and/or Catherine Garcia-Prats
This is a couple married for 30 years and parents of 10 sons; they present programs on parenting, marriage and family throughout the United States. One of the most successful programs is "Good Families Don't Just Happen," which is a parish-based seminar designed to build a better understanding of the every day dynamics of family and parenting. The goal of the seminar is to help parents appreciate the gift of family. It may be organized for a Saturday or as a series over 4 weeks.

Topics include: Building a Foundation, Responsible Parenting, Loving Discipline, Celebrating the Uniqueness of Each Child, Faith and Family, Developing Support Systems, and Coping with Time, Fatigue and Stress.

They also offer a program on Marriage enrichment: Good Marriages Don't Just Happen.

For programs dates and locations, please contact Catherine Garcia-Prats at (713) 721-3445 or cathy@garcia-prats.com, or visit www.garcia-prats.com.

Kidbrat.com
The website of the nationally syndicated talk show host and psychologist Ray Guarendi, it features special articles of interest to parents that range from discipline to peer pressure to setting rules for your children. He also has a listing of the radio talk show times in case you are interested in calling into the program: www.kidbrat.com.

James B. Stenson
He works as an educational consultant specializing in family life and family-school relationships. For the past 15 years, he has written books for parents and has given conferences throughout the world. He has spoken to groups of parents in nearly every major city in the United States and Canada as well as in England, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, The Philippines, Trinidad, and other countries.

For more information please contact James Stenson at (617) 738-1225 or e-mail jbstenson@earthlink.net or visit www.parentleadership.com.

Dr. Jane Nelsen
A licensed marriage, family and child counselor in South Jordan, Utah and San Clemente, California, Dr. Nelsen is the author and/or coauthor of several books. Her doctoral degree in Educational Psychology from the University of San Francisco in 1979 is secondary to the education and experience she achieved from her successes and failures as a mother of seven children. She now shares this wealth of knowledge and experience as a popular keynote speaker and workshop leader throughout the country.

Positive Discipline is an interactive workshop for parents and teachers of children–pre-school through teens. It provides support for classroom teachers, parents, pre-school parents and parents of teens. This workshop helps parents and teachers set healthy boundaries with mutual respect, and teaches problem-solving skills, family and class meetings.

For more information, call Dale Roper, a certified Texas teacher and a diocesan-certified coordinator of religious education, at (281) 333-5482. Contact Dr. Nelsen at jane@positivediscipline.com or visit www.positivediscipline.com.
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Consultations and Referrals
The staff of the Family Life office is available for consultation by phone, e-mail, or personal meeting to all clergy, parish staff, and volunteer leaders who need specific answers or suggestions for in the area of marriage and family.  We also do referrals for counseling, both within and without the Archdiocese. Call (713) 741-8730 or click here to contact a Family Life staff member.

Catholic Charities
Refer to Catholic Charities if you are in need for family and/or marriage counseling. It is located at 2900 Louisiana Street, Houston, Texas 77006. Call (713) 526-4611 or visit www.catholiccharites.org.

Carole and Ronald Krist Samaritan Center
Another center for counseling and education is the Carole and Ronald Krist Samaritan Center. For information or to schedule an appointment call (281) 480-7554 or visit www.samaritanhouston.org.

For referrals in the area of parenting, please click here.

Annulments: Education and Help
To learn more about annulments, please click here.
For frequently asked questions about annulments, click here. 
Click here to view annulment information on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops website.
Click here to an article entitled, Annulment: the Process and Its Meaning by Patrick Lagges, JCD

Divorce
To learn more about divorce please visit www.usccb.org/laity/marriage/divorce.shtml.
You can also visit www.newadvent.org/cathen/05054c.htm.
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Additional Resources
www.catholic-ew.org.uk
www.osv.com/PrimaryNav/ParishResources
www.AmericanCatholic.org
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