The Church of Ireland Marriage Council’s report was considered this morning by General Synod and proposed by the Revd John Ardis.

Mr Ardis remarked that it was a real privilege to journey with people on the beginning of married life together, also a privilege to be there when people experience difficulty and need help in their relationships.

He thanked the outgoing members of the Council, the Very Revd Arthur Barrett, Mrs Deirdre Whitley and Mrs Rosalind Willoughby, and extended condolences to the family of the Revd David Somerville: “He was a very committed member of the council and we give thanks to God for all that he did for the council and for the Church.”

The Marriage Council was no longer in a position to offer discounted pre–marital preparation due to a funding being but it maintained that this is good value for money and clergy really should be encouraging couples to avail of marriage preparation.  The council continues to subsidise the cost for marriage counselling in the Republic of Ireland and Mr Ardis also highlighted its new website: www.towardsmarriageireland.com

“As a result of the Marriage Act 2015 in the Republic of Ireland, the Marriage Council finds itself working in a changed environment and we are working through what that means to try and maintain our openness to those who require our assistance,” he commented.

The council is currently updating the Towards Marriage pack, which when fully updated will be accessible to download from the website, and was very pleased with the success of the ‘Pastoral Care of Marriage and Family Life Today’ course held in St Columba’s Parish Centre, Omagh.  The council is hoping to run this also in the southern region at some stage this year.