Accord seen as ‘essential’ for marriage support bishop

A “strong society” is based on strong marriages according to the President of Accord, the Catholic Marriage Care Service. Speaking at the blessing of an engaged couple, Bishop Denis Nulty said the World Meeting of Families, to be hosted this August in Dublin, is a time when families all over the world will come to Dublin to reflect on family life.

Bishop Nulty said: “Families and friends, the guests who attend wedding ceremonies understand marriage as a fundamental human reality and the commitment of the young couple getting married is so moving because it says against all odds, no matter what happens ‘we’ll be there for one another’.”

At a gathering at the Shrine of St Valentine in Whitefriar Church in Dublin the bishop blessed the engagement rings of Anna Keegan and Seamus Walsh, who got engaged while visiting Christmas markets in Bucharest.

“We also realise in today’s world it is a difficult commitment.  Different stressors can take their toll on the mood in a marriage, and that’s why the accompaniment work of Accord is so essential,” he said.

Accord launched their most recent annual figures this week, which show that 8,432 couples completed Marriage Preparation in 2017 while 7,079 individuals attended Marriage Counselling sessions.

Overall both services have seen a drop in attendance. While there was a steady rise in the number of people attending Marriage Preparation from 2014 to 2016 (15,504 to 17,108) this dropped to 16,864 last year.

There has been a steady decrease in people availing of marriage counselling, from 42,467 in 2013 to 26,946 last year.