Celebrating Family Diocesan Projects 

In November 2007 as a result of the success of the bishops' Faith in the Future fundraising initiative the Celebrating Family Fund was created to enable the development of additional or foundational work in support of marriage and family life within the Catholic dioceses of England and Wales. The following diocesan projects were awarded funding in 2008. Click on the links for more information.

Arundel and Brighton: 50% of the costs for an MA in Leadership in Family Ministry and Faith Formation to provide for a diocesan Family Life Ministry Coordinator with appropriate leadership training and qualification.

Birmingham: a pilot project to examine and share a vision of what it is and means to be a parent, providing for youth and schools groups exploring the reality and meaning of parenthood and personhood.

Cardiff: employment costs for a part-time Parenting Support Officer over three years to enhance, improve and affirm parent-child interactions by strengthening the skills and confidence of parents within the archdiocese. This will involve the direct delivery of courses for parents through Catholic primary and secondary schools and the recruitment and support of a volunteer network to ensure the sustainability of this work in the future.

East Anglia: creation of a part-time Coordinator post over three years to develop support for parents, marriage and families with disabled children. Funding also provides for the training costs of volunteer development, the delivery of additional marriage preparation courses, the launch of parent education programmes in two deaneries, the training of group facilitators and training for catechists to enable them to work more effectively with children and adults with learning difficulties and their families.

Hallam: employment costs for a part-time post to take forward parent support over three years, building on experiences of challenges to sustainability. The centralised provision of parenting support services to schools and parishes will be piloted in one area of the diocese. 

Hexham and Newcastle: employment costs for a development worker to identify, train, equip and support volunteer teams to provide marriage preparation and parenting course in collaboration with their parish priests. Funding also provides for training costs for volunteer development.

Leeds: employment costs for a part-time Parent Support Worker and an administrative worker to create a sustainable network of trained volunteer parent educators. The volunteers will affirm and support parents in their family relationships at home by encouraging positive parenting skills.

Middlesbrough: creation of a part-time three year post to promote family-sensitive, friendly parishes and to raise awareness of marital and family spirituality through establishing a volunteer network and providing appropriate training and awareness events.

Nottingham: creation of a part-time post to develop support for parents in praying with their children, through researching, developing and testing a modular programme of support for family prayer lives and building a network of informal parents groups.

Plymouth: creation of a part-time three year post to develop support for marriage and family life within the diocese, through identifying existing resources, strengths and needs as well as potential, sustainable strategies for diocesan support of marriage and family life.

Portsmouth: employment costs of a part-time post to develop existing networks of support for marriage and family life and provide more effective coordination of marriage preparation & enrichment services, bereavement support, celebrations, parenting programmes and mental health support.

Shrewsbury: employment costs for a development worker to deliver Everybody’s Welcome & Home is a Holy Place strategies within 20 & 26 Local Pastoral Areas respectively, through developing existing networks and equipping volunteers. 

Wrexham: employment costs for a part-time worker to develop a sustainable Marriage and Family Life Ministry for the diocese, targeting the development of self-sustaining networks of trained volunteers at least 50% of parishes.