Parish lay leaders recently joined Arlington Catholic
Charities to discuss ways to strengthen the family and how
Catholic Charities helps with this throughout the diocese.
The quarterly gathering of Catholic Charities Parish Liaison
Network included representatives from 36 parishes. The PLN
acts as the link between both the parish and Catholic
Charities and between a parish and other parishes.
Beverly H. Tauke, a family counselor, author and member of
the Catholic Charities board of directors, gave a
presentation on working through family hardships. She
discussed identifying and correcting dysfunctional family
systems and breaking the cycle of pain and unhealthy
behaviors. She also underscored the important role that faith
plays in emotional healing.
Tauke explained how a person’s family-of-origin might impact
their adult relationships, including marriage, parenting or
friendships. She pointed out that people who choose to face
residual family pain usually fare much better.
“People who focus on their family-of-origin issues fast-track
their emotional and relational repair,” Tauke said.
Anne Devine, a therapist and program manager for Catholic
Charities’ counseling progam, identified ways that Catholic
Charities works to strengthen families facing the struggles
that Tauke described.
Catholic Charities offers Catholic-based treatment to clients
on a sliding scale. They provide individual, marital,
parent/child, family and group counseling and see clients in
11 different locations throughout the diocese, including at
many parishes.
Counseling is the Catholic Charities service that is most
requested by pastors and priests.
“Those who seek counseling services are courageous because
they are willing to say ‘I need help,'” Devine said.
These discussions come at a time when the family is a heavily
discussed topic by the Holy Father.
“I cannot hide my concern for the family, which is
threatened, perhaps as never before, from within and
without,” Pope Francis said in his address to Congress.
In addition to helping families through such services as
counseling, or providing housing and food Catholic Charities
offers a speakers’ series on strengthening families that is
geared toward parishes, schools and ministry groups.
“The most beautiful thing that God made, the Bible says, was
the family,” said Pope Francis.
