For Children of Divorced Parents

Reading through the latest issue of Canticle Magazine, I learned about an organization dedicated to helping children of divorced parents heal and be able to go on to have successful marriages themselves. According to the article in "Canticle," studies show that 60% of women and 35% of men whose parents divorce get divorced themselves. Lynn Cassella-Kapusinski's parents divorced when she was eleven years old. She started Faith Journeys to help children of divorce and to help bring God into the process of healing. She writes:

Today's statistics – which state that children with separated or divorced parents are twice as likely as children living in intact families to experience difficulties -- speak to a need for help. A need that only God’s grace and direction can fully satisfy.

While not all children experience difficulties as a result of parental divorce or neglect, many note having academic problems, trouble with school authorities or the police, low self-esteem and depression. These children often have more difficulties getting along with siblings and peers also.

In adolescence, they are more likely to engage in delinquent behavior including substance abuse, to be involved in early sexual activity, and to experiment with illegal drugs. In young adulthood, they are more likely to have some difficulty forming intimate relationships and establishing independence from their families.

Faith Journeys offers three age-directed curricula: 1) for elementary school ages; 2) for middle schoolers and high schoolers, and 3) another for older teens and young adults. These curricula may be used for establishing group programs and retreats at Dioceses, schools, parishes, or community-based organizations.

For more information, visit http://www.faithjourneys.org/