Washington D.C., Feb 6, 2018 / 15:26 pm
This year's National Marriage Week USA kicks off on Wednesday, Feb. 7, and will continue until Feb. 14, St. Valentine's Day.
In a letter to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., said that the week's celebrations are an annual opportunity to "focus on building a culture of life and love."
Chaput, chairman of the USCCB's Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, added that he hoped the week could nurture "an ever-deeper appreciation for the gift of marriage and the blessings of family life."
National Marriage Week USA is part of a larger international movement seeking to celebrate and strengthen marriage.
The celebration of National Marriage Week began in 2010, and each year includes World Marriage Day, which is celebrated each year during the second Sunday of February.
This year, World Marriage Day will be held on February 11, the same day as World Day of the Sick.
Throughout National Marriage Week this year, couples will be able to partake in daily online retreats on the USCCB's "For Your Marriage" website and its social media channels. These daily retreats have the theme "Marriage: School of Life and Love."
Other resources, including books and prayer cards, are also available on the USCCB website.
?As part of the week's celebrations, the USCCB will also be live-streaming a rosary for engaged and married couples, as well as for families in need of healing on its Facebook and Twitter feeds.