RAISING OUR CHILDREN while at the same time nurturing our marital relationship can sometimes be a balancing act. During this year, our California bishops invite every Catholic to celebrate the beauty of marriage and family through the Radiate Love Initiative. In light of this, the Diocese is helping out with a series of Date Nights to give couples a worry-free evening out and to encourage couples to rekindle their relationship so they can share their love and God’s love to their children and the world.
Cecilia Phan, the coordinator of Young Adult Ministry and Evangelization in the Diocese of Orange, has assembled the ingredients for a perfect parent’s night out; all the couples need to do is sign up at https://www.rcbo.org/yya-datenight. Alternatively, couples can call Enrique Soria at [email protected] or (714) 282-4216.
“Date Night is a collaboration between the offices of Family Life and Youth & Young Adults,” said Phan. “This is an effort to respond to the needs of married couples who naturally go through stages in life that require support, prayer and accompaniment. Intentional date nights are vital for a strong marriage. We hope that they will provide an opportunity for engagement that is currently often missed by married couples. This experience incentivizes couples to go on dates and break away from the daily grind to grow in connection and emotional intimacy.”
The evening starts at 6 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 27, with a visit to the Pastoral Center on the Christ Cathedral Campus at 13280 Chapman Avenue, Garden Grove. Parents can drop off their children and receive a Date Kit.
“The Date Kits are meant as catalysts for meaningful conversation, prayer and fun,” added Phan. “We hope that the kits will help couples connect deeply and grow together.”
Children need to be picked up by 10 p.m.
Local Catholic school teachers, fully vetted by the Diocese’s Safe Environment standards, will provide free babysitting for potty-trained toddlers from age 2 through middle schoolers aged 12. Simple dinner and snacks will be provided. The teachers will ensure the children have as much fun that evening as the parents. No homework allowed!
Meanwhile, parents will receive a Date Kit that includes a prayer card, story about a married saint and an activity or game to help couples get past the mundane cares of the day and focus on their relationship. The Date Kits are portable and can be used in conjunction with whatever fun plans they make for the evening.
From the Pastoral Center, the parents leave for some well-deserved and quality “us” time.
It’s kind of like a first date, only better. Many married couples fall out of the habit of dating each other, but it’s a really important part of nourishing their relationship.
If a couple can’t make the first Date Night on Sept. 27, they can enjoy a Date Night on any or all of the following evenings:
■ Friday, Dec. 13, 2024
■ Friday, Feb. 7, 2025
■ Friday, May 9, 2025
Linda Ji, director of Office for Family Life in the Diocese of Orange, explained why Date Night and other family-support programs are essential to the work of the Diocese.
“Parents are the most important ministers in the Church because they are the ministers of the family, the most basic building block of the Church,” said Ji. “Founded on sacramental marriage, the Christian family is a sign of God’s love in the world and has the mission to bring others to participate in the love of God.”
She continued: “However, if the foundation of the family, the parents’ marriage, is not strong, the parents will struggle and not be able to lead the mission of the family. The Church can preach and teach about the importance of marriage and family in words, but the Church must also provide real help for parents to focus on their marriage to strengthen the foundation of their family.”
Ji added: “Providing childcare for date nights is one small way we support parents so they can tend to their own relationship and fortify their marital bond. As stated in our mission, the Office for Family Life ‘supports marriage formation and pastoral care to advance the missionary discipleship of the Domestic Church in the Diocese of Orange.’ These date nights are part of that pastoral care of our parents so that they may become missionary disciples and fulfill our diocesan mission and the Great Commission by evangelizing their children and community.”
The real joy of the date night comes when parents, feeling closer and more connected, reunite with their children and the entire family is a little happier, healthier and holier.
For more information and additional resources about Radiate Love, please visit https://radiatelove.info