Ask Zeale: How can the Catholic Church better support young marriages and families?

Pope Saint John Paull II wrote in his 1994 Letter to Families, “The family is placed at the center of the great struggle between good and evil, between life and death, between love and all that is opposed to love.”

If the family is of such great importance, it is vital that the Church support the young couples getting married and having children, especially while the family is under attack by society. We asked Zeale staff members how the Church could do so and made the following list based on their suggestions.

During the Mass

• Encourage priests to regularly affirm from the pulpit that children are welcome at Mass.
• Preach more often on the beauty and importance of marriage, parenthood, and openness to life.
• Foster a pew culture where parishioners are patient and supportive of families with young children.
• Encourage families with children to sit toward the front so kids can engage more fully in the liturgy.

Supporting families spiritually

• Expand confession availability, including times before, during, or after Sunday Mass.
• Offer Theology of the Body studies for married couples.
• Make marriage counseling more visible, accessible, and free of stigma.
• Promote and expand marriage enrichment programs (such as Third Option–style groups).

Offering practical support

• Offer free babysitting during parish events.
• Provide childcare during marriage enrichment or formation programs.
• Coordinate meal trains for families during major life events (new babies, miscarriage, illness, surgery, bereavement).
• Organize parenting workshops and formation opportunities for young couples.

Forming and enriching marriages

• Organize parish-sponsored date nights with dinners, talks, dances, or retreats.
• Host supper clubs or small-group gatherings for married couples.
• Provide couples with conversation prompts or resources during parish date nights.
• Establish mentorship programs pairing younger couples with experienced parents.

Building community and parish social life

• Host social dance nights or similar community-building events.
• Encourage informal recreation after Mass (pickup sports, picnics, family play time).
• Create family-friendly outdoor gathering spaces (playgrounds, picnic areas, shelters).
• Make parish property easier for parishioners to use for grassroots social gatherings.
• Reduce unnecessary bureaucratic barriers that prevent organic community events.

Youth formation & family ecosystem

• Build robust altar server programs with mentorship structures that foster friendship and formation among boys.
• Create youth-group babysitting opportunities that both serve families and fund youth programs.

With the rise of secularism, abortion, divorce, and LGBT ideologies, families are under greater attacks than ever before, and need the help and support of the Church to cling to Our Lord.  Churches can take these practical steps to give families the formation that they need.