Roman Catholic 
Diocese of Ogdensburg

Family Life

Family Guggenheim

Surviving 
Divorce

Dear Friends,

The Family Life Department of the Diocese of Ogdensburg is in the process of “Growing the Vision” of family life in our diocese. This is indeed an exciting time. Today’s families are faced with many problems, but we feel this is an opportunity for us to work together to strengthen our family life.

To quote our Holy Father from Familiaris Consortio, “Family, become what your are! When we experience families becoming what they are meant to be, we truly experience the life of God.”

Family life is holy not because it is perfect...but because God’s Grace is at work in it… setting out a-new everyday on the way of love.

Let us work together to strengthen family life in our diocese. 

About Family Life

Who We Are: The Office of Family Life offers resources to parishes and families throughout the diocese. These include enrichment and support services and contact with movements geared to the needs of families at various stages in the family life cycle.

May We Help?: Married? Divorced? Single? Engaged? Widowed? We can help. In addition, we also work closely with other ministries and offices, such as Natural Family Planning and Respect Life.

Our Commitment: The Family Life Office is committed to making resources available to parishes and individuals interested in developing Family Ministry as encouraged and promoted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

NYS Bishop's statement on marriage

“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.”Psalm 78:4

A Bishop's Fund Ministry...Thank you for your support.

Ministry to Separated and Divorced

The Office of Family Life Ministry provides support and encouragement to "hurting" members of the Church community. The Church shows concern and embraces all her members by offering support groups throughout the diocese. In addition, the Family Life Office, with assistance from the Tribunal, sponsors informative programs dealing with the process of securing church annulments.

Groups serving in the diocese act as beacons of hope and sources of strength for those overwhelmed with the pain and fear associated with the dissolution of a marriage relationship. The groups provide the setting for hurting people to verbalize and share their anxieties and feelings with others who are in similar circumstances. All sessions and participation are confidential.

We are offering the Catholic Divorce Survival program in a number of sites around the diocese.  This is a 12-week program which meets once a week.  The meetings include a 30-minute video, a discussion of the content of the video and conversation among the participants.  For more information, please contact Steve Tartaglia at (315) 393-2920.

The Catholic Divorce Ministry (CDM) is an organization that is dedicated to developing and expanding a peer ministry offering compassion, encouragement, support, and education to families who experience separation and divorce while affirming Catholic teaching and tradition.

If you are interested in learning more about Catholic Divorce Ministry or becoming a member, click here.

Men's Catholic Retreat

We hold an annual Catholic Men’s Retreat. Usually this is in early June at the Guggenheim Lodge in Saranac Lake. The retreat begins on Friday night and ends Sunday afternoon, and includes recitation of prayers from the Liturgy of the Hours, Mass, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, opportunity for Confession, listening to spiritual talks, opportunities for recreation and relaxation, and shared fellowship with other Catholic men. The cost of the retreat is $100 and includes meals and materials. Please check back in February for more details or contact Steve Tartaglia at (315) 393-2920.

Contact

Stephen Tartaglia
Director of Family Life
Phone: (315) 393-2920