Record Crowd Attends Dr. Fitzgibbons Talk on Healthy Marriages
“If you want a healthy marriage you have to have a healthy personality: knowing yourself and your weaknesses and addressing them by applying virtues to offset weaknesses,” began Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons, M.D., before a packed house on Friday, March 4, 2011.
The talk, sponsored by the Institute for the Psychological Sciences (IPS), was entitled “The Psychology of a Healthy Marriage,” and is part of this year’s Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman Lecture Series on “Marriage and Friendship.”
Dr. Fitzgibbons also commended the work of IPS and motivated the students saying, “being here today I see the future. There are very few places in the country where you can get the kind of training you are getting.”
He discussed the enemies of a healthy marriage, and gave suggestions on which virtues are needed to combat each of these obstacles. Selfishness, anger, and controlling behaviors were the top three enemies, and forgiveness a critical remedy.
He quoted from John Paul II and Benedict XVI that the essence of marital love is self-giving.
As a founder of the Center for Marital Healing, Fitzgibbons spoke of the challenges couples have finding a therapist today who is loyal to marriage and who hasn’t given into the prevailing narcissism of our culture.
“You must think of yourselves as marriage educators,” he said, stressing how the weakening of the faith over the past 40 years has caused tremendous misunderstanding of the beauty and holiness of marriage.
“When a couple comes to understand the incredibly high calling of the sacrament of marriage, it enriches their sense of vocation to radiate and mirror the love that is in the heart of God,” which requires identifying and removing those obstacles to self-giving.
“You are going to come out of this institution and help Catholic marriages more than you realize. Applying virtues to emotional pain is extremely rewarding and fulfilling professionally,” he said.
“You have a wonderful opportunity at this outstanding institution to really be of great service to the sacrament of marriage.”
After taking a few questions, Dr. Fitzgibbons finished saying, “Persevere! The Church needs you! The problem out there is overwhelming. Catholic couples have enormous difficulty finding marital therapists, people who are sensitive to them who can work with them to help them resolve their conflicts. You are at a great place to train, to help the Church, to help marriages.”
Dr. Fitzgibbons will also be speaking at the Pastoral Formation Seminar in May, co-sponsored by IPS and the Sacerdos Institute.
To view photos, click here
“If you want a healthy marriage you have to have a healthy personality: knowing yourself and your weaknesses and addressing them by applying virtues to offset weaknesses,” began Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons, M.D., before a packed house on Friday, March 4, 2011.The talk, sponsored by the Institute for the Psychological Sciences (IPS), was entitled “The Psychology of a Healthy Marriage,” and is part of this year’s Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman Lecture Series on “Marriage and Friendship.”
Dr. Fitzgibbons also commended the work of IPS and motivated the students saying, “being here today I see the future. There are very few places in the country where you can get the kind of training you are getting.”
He discussed the enemies of a healthy marriage, and gave suggestions on which virtues are needed to combat each of these obstacles. Selfishness, anger, and controlling behaviors were the top three enemies, and forgiveness a critical remedy.
He quoted from John Paul II and Benedict XVI that the essence of marital love is self-giving.
As a founder of the Center for Marital Healing, Fitzgibbons spoke of the challenges couples have finding a therapist today who is loyal to marriage and who hasn’t given into the prevailing narcissism of our culture.
“You must think of yourselves as marriage educators,” he said, stressing how the weakening of the faith over the past 40 years has caused tremendous misunderstanding of the beauty and holiness of marriage.
“When a couple comes to understand the incredibly high calling of the sacrament of marriage, it enriches their sense of vocation to radiate and mirror the love that is in the heart of God,” which requires identifying and removing those obstacles to self-giving.
“You are going to come out of this institution and help Catholic marriages more than you realize. Applying virtues to emotional pain is extremely rewarding and fulfilling professionally,” he said.
“You have a wonderful opportunity at this outstanding institution to really be of great service to the sacrament of marriage.”
After taking a few questions, Dr. Fitzgibbons finished saying, “Persevere! The Church needs you! The problem out there is overwhelming. Catholic couples have enormous difficulty finding marital therapists, people who are sensitive to them who can work with them to help them resolve their conflicts. You are at a great place to train, to help the Church, to help marriages.”
Dr. Fitzgibbons will also be speaking at the Pastoral Formation Seminar in May, co-sponsored by IPS and the Sacerdos Institute.
To view photos, click here