SINGAPORE (UCAN): The Catholic Divorce Support Group [CDSG], an affiliate of the Catholic Family Life Commission of the Archdiocese of Singapore, seeks to help Catholics cope with the stress of breaking up, according to a report in the Catholic News of Singapore on June 29.
A 13-week programme, Surviving Divorce, is set to run from July 5 to October 4, while a three-day programme, Beginning Experience Weekend, is scheduled for September 9 to 11.
The group seeks to bring “hope and healing” to those who are divorced or separated and to help them and their families live the universal call to holiness.
The CDSG takes its cue from Pope Francis’ 2016 apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia [The Joy of Love], on the Church’s teachings on pastoral care for families and marriage
The pope said that while the Church’s teaching about divorce remains unchanged, all Catholics are invited to make respectful accompaniment a priority for those who are separated, divorced or abandoned, the group noted.
“Respect needs to be shown, especially … to those who have been forced by maltreatment from a husband or a wife to interrupt their lives together. To forgive such an injustice that has been suffered is not easy, but grace makes this journey possible. Pastoral care must necessarily include efforts at reconciliation and mediation,” Pope Francis wrote in the document.
According to CDSG facilitator John Ooi, the group seeks to support divorced Catholics with love, hope and charity.
Divorced Catholics are present in all spheres of our Church community, from our children’s catechists to the communion minister bringing Jesus to us, to the worshipper sitting right beside us at Mass
John Ooi, facilitator of Catholic Divorce Support Group, Singapore
The term “divorced Catholic” seems contrary to Jesus’ teaching on married people: “What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder” [Matthew 19:6]. Ooi noted that divorce and separation today are pertinent topics that impact societies, and especially the Church.
“Divorced Catholics are present in all spheres of our Church community, from our children’s catechists to the communion minister bringing Jesus to us, to the worshipper sitting right beside us at Mass,” he said.
Ooi said that the Church is “invited to acknowledge the struggles of our brothers and sisters who have or are undergoing a divorce and walk with them as they undergo this journey of healing and restoration”.
He added, “Just as Jesus came to walk with the broken-hearted, he hands this responsibility and vocation to us to accompany those whose hearts are in need of healing today.”
CDSG offers pastoral and psychological support to divorced Catholics all year round in collaboration with marriage and family life experts.
It seeks to help divorced and lonely Catholics in assisting them in finding answers to three basic questions: how to navigate emotional turbulence to find personal healing and hope; how to discover a deeper understanding of God’s love; and how to look to the future with hope and forgiveness.
Singapore has seen rise in divorce cases in recent times, largely due to socioeconomic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The number of divorces rose by two per cent in 2021 from 2020, The Straits Times reported in March. In this period, family justice courts saw a four per cent rise in caseloads.
After years of deliberations, Singapore’s parliament amended the Women’s Charter on January 10 to introduce divorce by mutual agreement. The change sought to offer couples a more amicable option to split up legally.
