Building A Better Marriage (BABM) is a morning online or day-long face-to-face course aimed at married couples with average-to-good marriages, whether they have been married a few years or decades. It is offered to single parishes or individual deaneries on demand.
How to make your marriage happier, better and stronger
An initiative aimed at making marriages happier, better and stronger is spreading across Southwark archdiocese.
Called Building a Better Marriage (BABM), it involves married couples from the Southwark Marriage and Family Life diocesan team visiting parishes to present a one-day course. The presenting team give personal sharings as part of guidance on answering questions posed to couples attending the seminar such as:
- Who am I?
- What do I bring to my marriage?
- In what way can we improve our communication skills as a couple?
- How do we deal with conflict and confrontation in our marital relationship?
Other issues covered include sexuality and sex, finance and marital spirituality.
The BABM course is aimed at couples with average-to-good marriages who would like to make them better. Various techniques are introduced by the presenting team to help couples raise and deal with sensitive issues in a cooperative way. Discussions are one to one and there is no group sharing.
The end result is a deeper, closer and more loving marital relationship. That and the success of the day are amply witnessed by couples’ comments on the (anonymous) evaluation forms returned at the end of the day…
- ‘First time for us and thoroughly enjoyed it.’
- ‘Please go to every parish and do this: it’s fantastic.’
- ‘Enjoyable, an eye opener’
- ‘It has helped us to be more open to ourselves and discuss topics that we tend to avoid.’
- ‘Helped us to deal with issues in our marriage in a less confrontational way.’
- ‘Informative and invaluable.’
- ‘Helped us realise how lucky we are and also how we can always improve a good marriage.’
Organised in cooperation with the local parish priest, each Building A Better Marriage day is held on a Saturday from 9.30 am to 4.30pm. An online morning session may be an option.
- Any parish/deanery who would like the MFL team to run a BABM course in their area should contact Carole on mflkent@rcaos.org.ukor phone 07983 524 727
DATES FOR 2025
January 25 Welling
February 1 Broadstairs
March 15 East Sheen
April 12 West Croydon
June 28 Surbiton
July 5 Dulwich
September 13 St George's Cathedral
October 4 Catford
November 1 Petts Wood
Or YOUR parish - just contact us for available dates.
