FLS Annual Report 2013

FAMILY LIFE SOCIETY
A N N U A L R E P O RT 2 0 1 3
CONTENTS
THE FLS FAMILY IN 2013 ....................................................................1
OUR MISSION AND OUR VISION ....................................................2
CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE . . ....................................................................3
FLS PROGRAMMES AND SERVICES
MARITAL & FAMILY THERAPY AND PARA-COUNSELLING . . ....................... 7
PREGNANCY CRISIS SERVICE ..................................................................... 8
EDUCATION & OUTREACH ....................................................................... 9
JOYFUL PARENTING ................................................................................. 10
RACHEL’S VINEYARD ................................................................................. 11
OUR AFFILIATES
CHOICE . . ................................................................................................... 15
CATHOLIC ENGAGED ENCOUNTER . . ..................................................... 16
MARRIAGE PREPARATION COURSE ......................................................... 17
NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING .................................................................. 18
COUPLE EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME ................................................. 19
WORLDWIDE MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER ................................................. 20
COUPLES FOR CHRIST ............................................................................. 21
RETROUVAILLE .. ........................................................................................ 22
BEGINNING EXPERIENCE . . ....................................................................... 23
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................. 24
FLS FAMILY
PATRON
THE MOST REVEREND WILLIAM GOH, D.D., STL,
Archbishop of Singapore
VISION
SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR
FR DAVID GARCIA, OP
FLS BOARD
Chairman DR JOHN LIM KHAI LIANG
Vice-Chairman CHRISTOPHER MURUGASU
Secretary JOHN OOI
Treasurer LIONAL TSENG
Member THOMAS CHIA
Member ROBERT CONCEICAO
Member THIO YING YING
FLS STAFF
Executive Director (until May 2013) STEVEN TAN
Executive Director PAUL LONG
Principal Therapist THERESA BUNG
Clinical Consultant SUSANNE RICHMOND
Associate Therapist I. WARTON ONG
Associate Therapist VERONICA MUK
Associate Therapist ANDRE TAN
Programme Manager (until March 2013) MICHELLE SOLIANO
Assistant Programme Manager LAURA JONATHAN
Assistant Programme Manager MA. HERSHEY REGAYA
Marketing & Community Relations Manager SUSIE WEE
Pregnancy Crisis Service Case Worker KAREN VINCENT
Administrative Executive (until June 2013) CATHERINE WEE
Administrative Executive VERONICA LOW
A world that honours the sanctity
of human life, marriage and family.
MISSION
FLS PROGRAMMES - COORDINATORS
Community of Para-Counsellors LAWRENCE YANG
Pregnancy Crisis Service SUSAN YEOW
Rachel’s Vineyard ROSE BOON
Joyful Parenting PAMELA LIM
FLS AFFILIATES - COORDINATORS
Choice (Singles) ALBERT QUAH, FELICIA
Choice (Couples) KELVIN & ANGELA TAN
Catholic Engaged Encounter BENEDICT & AGATHA CHO
Marriage Preparation Course SEBASTIAN & AILEEN CHOW
Natural Family Planning DR DOUGLAS ONG
Couple Empowerment Programme BERNARD & YING THIO
Worldwide Marriage Encounter PATRICK & RACHEL TEE
Couples For Christ PATRICK & YVONNE THONG
Retrouvaille RICK & MONICA TAN
Beginning Experience JANE WONG
1
To be the ministry that empowers families,
strengthens marriages and
upholds the dignity of human life.
2
CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
2013
has been another year of change
for FLS. We continued to be
more focused in our Vision and
Mission in empowering families, strengthening marriages
and to uphold the dignity of human life.
COUNSELLING SERVICE
With three new associate therapists coming on board since
5 January 2013, our Marital and Family Therapy department
is now able to provide consultations on some Saturday
mornings each month.
A new Executive Director, Paul Long, came on board on
1 June 2013 to steer our team.
PREGNANCY CRISIS SERVICE (PCS)
Public support for PCS came in on 6 July 2013 when
AllAlloy Dynaweld Pte Ltd organised a corporate
fundraising movie screening event. A total of $40,000 was
raised to support PCS’ mission in saving the unborn.
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
We completed our exit from the School Family Education
(SFE) programme in March 2013. Our Education department
is now more focused on being a programme provider. We
have a new signature sexuality programme, “Made For
More” (MFM). Pilot sessions with five secondary schools,
as well as three Train-the-Trainer sessions, have been run.
MFM is being primed to be rolled out to the youth.
3
Last year, we submitted eight of our Lovelife programmes
on the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF)’s
newly-established ‘Family Matters Portal’. Our programmes,
which focus on building life skills, instilling good values,
reinforcing positive character and igniting family bonds, are
now available to all schools, organisations and community
groups in Singapore.
PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL AND
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES
FLS attended the following conferences:
•• The BILA II Family Asia Conference (20 to 25 April
2013, Kuala Lumpur). The conference focused on
regional family matters and was attended by FLS
Chairman, Dr John Lim, and our former ED, Steven Tan.
•• Our former ED, Steven Tan, represented FLS at ‘Our
Singapore Conversation’ dialogue on 6 February 2013
at the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF).
•• Our ED, Paul Long, represented FLS at Human Life
International (HLI) Conference in Kota Kinabalu from
14 to 16 November 2013.
The Education team also organised an Effective Parenting
forum titled “Optimising your child’s early development”
on 12 October 2013 which was attended by about 205
young parents.The panel of four parenting experts provided
useful tips to the new parents.
OTHER PROGRAMMES AND AFFILIATES
FLS’ other programmes including Joyful Parenting
Workshops, Rachel’s Vineyard post-abortion healing
retreats and our nine affiliates continued to contribute to
the strengthening of the family in Singapore.
ARCHDIOCESAN COMMISSION
FOR THE FAMILY
Archbishop William Goh met the Family Life Society (FLS)
on 19 August 2013. With family issues being one of His
Grace’s major concerns, he asked the FLS Board to initiate
a committee to look into the formation of an umbrella body
that would lead, manage, and coordinate all archdiocesan
organisations in the family life apostolate for the common
good of all families. Subsequently, an independent Pro-tem
Working Group was formed to deliberate and formulate
a proposal for His Grace’s consideration. On 27 February
2014, the Archdiocesan Commission for the Family, headed
by Vicar General Msgr Ambrose Vaz as its Spiritual Director,
was established. Going forward, FLS will work with groups
that champion the strengthening of the family.
MOVING AHEAD
FLS will continue in its mission to be a beacon for human
life, marriage and the family despite the many challenges
confronting human life, marriage and family.
Our services are now more focused and streamlined. And
we will continously review our services with the aim of
improving our outreach to those in need. New programmes
in the future will help to build and nurture resilient families,
strong marriages and a greater respect for human life.
I would like to thank our dedicated staff, our devoted
volunteers, our partners, sponsors and donors, and my
supportive Board Members, for their passion and drive that
has enabled FLS to serve those in need in 2013. I know they
will continue to give their best in 2014.
Finally, on behalf of everyone at FLS, our heartfelt thanks
goes to our esteemed Patron, Archbishop William Goh,
and Caritas Singapore, for their continued support and
encouragement.
May the Lord’s peace and blessings always be with you all!
DR JOHN LIM KHAI LIANG
CHAIRMAN
4
FLS PROGRAMMES
AND SERVICES
MARITAL & FAMILY THERAPY
AND PARA-COUNSELLING
PREGNANCY CRISIS SERVICE
O
ur marital and family counselling service
aims to equip, counsel and provide support
for strengthening family life. We provide a
nurturing environment and a listening ear to individuals,
couples and families. Our counselling programme is for
everyone regardless of their age, race or religion, who
may be facing emotional, relationship or marital problems.
We have a team of professional, dedicated and certified
counsellors to help clients cope with various crises and to
better manage their lives.
KEY ACTIVITIES
In 2013, we handled 300 cases (which 216 was new cases)
which comprised 773 counselling sessions. Most of our
clients were referred to us by friends, the media and
organisations. The majority of our counselling sessions
focused on family and marital issues.
Types of Cases
2012
2013
Family and Marital
197
Teens/Parenting
30
Personal/Mental/Sexuality
113
Pregnancy Crisis Related
2
Total 342
123
18
74
1
216
S
OTHER ACTIVITIES
tarted in 1987, Pregnancy Crisis Service (PCS)
is dedicated to helping anyone experiencing an
unexpected pregnancy and who is unsure how to
handle the situation. PCS’ 24-hour Helpline (6339 9770)
is manned by a group of dedicated volunteers. With the
help of FLS trained therapists, they attend to the callers’
immediate concerns. While the Helpline serves as a lifeline,
which provides confidentiality and anonymity for those who
are experiencing a pregnancy crisis, our PCS volunteers
strongly encourage the callers to attend a counselling
session as this provides a conducive platform to work
through the crisis and to explore the available options.
If the need arises, PCS will engage other relevant parties
like the clients’ parents and schools. PCS can also refer
clients to relevant partners for shelter, adoption, medical
consultations, financial assistance, and couple or personal
counselling.
•• Besides providing counselling, our counsellors also train
and supervise the FLS Community of Para-Counsellors
(CPC), the volunteers of the Pregnancy Crisis Service
(PCS), and work closely with our Education and
Outreach Department by conducting talks, seminars
and workshops for schools, family life groups and our
affiliates.
•• As part of their continual professional development,
our therapists regularly attend relevant conferences and
workshops.
•• Our para-counsellors support FLS’ front-line counselling
team by providing free counselling services at seven
centres located around Singapore. CPC also maintains a
hotline (6382 0688) which is manned by volunteers on
enquiries and for appointments.
•• In 2013, CPC’s team of 47 para-counsellors (supported
by FLS’ professional counsellors) attended to 166 cases,
totalling 429 counselling sessions at the seven centres.
KEY ACTIVITIES
PCS HELPLINE (6339 9770)
The PCS Helpline received 353 enquiries in 2013. About
53% of the callers wanted information or support to deal
with unwanted or unexpected pregnancies. The remaining
were enquiries on abortion, adoption, care arrangements,
marital issues, and shelter.
Description2012
2013
Number of calls
Number of ‘face-to-face’ counselling sessions and ‘interventions’
358
353
16
35
About 46% of the callers were above 21 years of age, and
24% were between 16 and 21 years old.
Age Profile of Callers
Total
%
Under 16 years of age 7
2
16 to 21 years of age
8524
Above 21 years of age 164
46
Undisclosed 9727
About 52% of the callers were singles and had experienced
unexpected pregnancies. About 21% of callers were married
and had similar concerns. The remainder of the callers did
not disclose their marital status.
No. of
Marital Status of Callers Callers
%
Single Married Divorced/Separated Undisclosed 52
21
1
25
185
74
5
88
KK HOSPITAL ABORTION COUNSELLING
PCS volunteers also extended their service to volunteer
at the KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) on
Mondays and Thursdays for abortion counselling. In 2013,
they counselled 212 clients compared to 154 clients in 2012,
out of which approximately 42% of the women decided to
re-think their decision.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
On 12 December 2013, volunteers from PCS organised
a Pro-life Mass to commemorate the Feast Day of Our
Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the unborn at the Novena
Church. It was celebrated by our Spiritual Director, Fr David
Garcia, OP.
familylife.sg/counselling
6488 0278 (Marital and Family Counselling)
6382 0688 (Para Counselling)
Principal Therapist THERESA BUNG
Coordinator, Community of Para-Counsellors LAWRENCE YANG
7
pregnancycrisis.sg
@
help@pregnancycrisis.sg
6339 9770 (PCS 24-hour Helpline)
Case Worker KAREN VINCENT
PCS Coordinator SUSAN YEOW
Spiritual Director FR DAVID GARCIA, OP
8
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
T
he Education and Outreach department conducts
workshops and talks on sexuality, parenting,
character development, family relationships, and
personal growth. These programmes are for teenagers,
families and couples, to strengthen relationships and help
individuals find meaning and purpose in their lives.
SCHOOLS
Since April 2013, with our exit from the School Family
Education Programme, FLS continues to partner MSF under
the Family Matters @ Schools scheme as a programme
provider. Life skills, universal values, character development
tools and family bonding elements are incorporated into
our programmes catered for schools and organisations.
YOUTHS
Developing well-rounded young people is critical as they are
the future of society. Students learn life skills that help them
to cope with life’s demands, and to adopt positive attitudes
toward family and relationships. Our programmes include I
am Made For More (on sexuality and choice-making); Ready,
Set, Go (on motivation and stress management); Relating
Well With Peers (on friendships, peer pressure and choicemaking); and Homework! But I Want To Play (on time
management and responsibilities).
PARENTS
Through our programmes, parents learn effective parenting
skills to better understand their children and to improve
parent-child relationships, and to enrich spousal relationships.
Programmes include The Birds And The Bees; Screamfree
Parenting; Dare To Discipline With Love; Help Me Help My
Child With Special Needs:, and The Role Of Parents.
FAMILIES
Family bonding is key to ensuring that the whole family grows
in unity to discover each other’s strengths, weaknesses,
perspectives and interests. Our programme Building Bonds
That Last provide families with the opportunity to do so.
JOYFUL PARENTING
KEY ACTIVITIES
Presentation Topics 2012
2013
Character Development 82
Sexuality Education 5
Parent-child bonding 44
Parenting/ Staff talks
93
Total 224
47
6
8
33
94
Target Audiences 2012
2013
Youth
6,5194,224
Parents 12,715
2,426
Total 19,234
6,650
J
oyful Parenting (JP) is a FLS outreach programme that
aims to inform, share and enrich parents-to-be in their
role of bringing up a loving, close-knit family unit. It
promotes nutrition and physical wellness for newborns
through breastfeeding as the natural source of nutrition
and bonding between babies and mums. The team consists
of volunteers who are experienced International Board
of Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC) and certified
Childbirth Educators and Counsellors.
Joyful Parenting operates a hotline (6488 0286) from
Mondays to Saturdays, from 10am to 5pm, which reaches
out to mothers and mothers-to-be. It also organises weekly
support group meetings, quarterly workshops and an annual
retreat for mothers.
Hotline calls 2012
2013
Breastfeeding 725
Parenting 19
Others 22
Total 766
820
32
22
874
Joyful Parenting Workshops
2012
2013
Number of Workshops Number of Participants
3
42
3
50
KEY ACTIVITIES
The Education arm also organised an Effective Parenting
forum on 12 October, with talks by renowned speakers on
topics such as Optimising Your Child’s Early Development
and Achieving Worklife Balance For The Family. Feedback
from parents who attended the forum were very positive.
The team of volunteers continued to conduct regular
workshops for parents-to-be on childbirth, breastfeeding
and postpartum well-being. They also continued to advocate
breastfeeding benefits to young couples who attended the
Marriage Preparation Course (MPC). Its mothers’ support
group meets once a month.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
OTHER ACTIVITIES
In conjunction with Catholic Junior College’s (CJC) efforts in
their Service Learning Programme, two classes collaborated
with the Education and Outreach team. On 17 August, one
class organised a “Movie Under The Stars” for 20 low-income
families, giving the families a great avenue to bond. The other
class explored the topic of bullying and developed a reflections
booklet and video skit that illustrated situations faced by
victims, along with proposed coping methods. This material
contributed as research for the potential development of a
programme on bullying issues.
A total of 35 participants attended JP’s annual Mother’s
Retreat held on 1 May at St Francis Convent.
@
familylife.sg/programmes
joyfulparenting.sg
education@familylife.sg
6488 0286
6488 0278
Asst Programme Manager MA. HERSHEY REGAYA
Asst Programme Manager LAURA REBECCA JONATHAN
9
Programme Coordinator PAMELA LIM
Secretary MAUREEN CHAN
Spiritual Director SR FLORENCE WONG, FMDM
10
RACHEL’S VINEYARD
R
achel’s Vineyard is an important initiative which
provides a healing programme for post-abortion
trauma affecting both women and men.The Rachel’s
Vineyard programme has been made available in Singapore
by FLS since 2010.
It is a one-weekend retreat to help those who have suffered
the tragedy and loss of a child through abortion, whether
directly or indirectly. The retreat enables participants to get
away from the daily pressures of work and family to focus on
this painful time in his or her life through a supportive and
non-judgemental process. The time away gives participants
an opportunity to enter deeply into the grieving process and
to identify all the ways in which the abortion experience may
have affected a person’s life. It offers a safe and comforting
environment for the participants as they journey along the
path towards forgiveness, reconciliation and healing.
Rachel’s Vineyard Singapore is helmed by Mrs Rose
Boon, a pregnancy crisis counsellor with about 20 years
of experience. She is assisted by a team of professional
therapists, counsellors and former retreatants. Over the last
three years, 12 retreats were held, serving 55 retreatants.
KEY ACTIVITIES
Rachel’s Vineyard conducted two retreats in May 2013. The
number of participants for each retreat was kept small, in
line with the practice of Rachel’s Vineyard retreats around
the world. A private and intimate setting gives an ideal
environment to effectively work with the profound shame,
guilt and other deep emotional and psychological traumas
experienced by post-abortive women and men.
Although FLS has been receiving an increasing number
of enquiries about the Rachel’s Vineyard retreats, due to
the small number of participants who can participate in
each session, the waiting list continues to grow. The lack
of trained counsellors and facilitators and an appropriate
venue for the retreats are other contributing factors. As
such, Rachel’s Vineyard is actively seeking more volunteers.
rachelsvineyard.sg
@
info@rachelsvineyard.sg
9818 5102 (Rose)
Programme Coordinator ROSE BOON
Spiritual Director FR RAVI MICHAEL, SJ
11
12
OUR AFFILIATES
CATHOLIC
ENGAGED ENCOUNTER
CHOICE
C
HOICE is a weekend stay-in programme for young
adults aged 18 to 40 years. It aims to help them
to rediscover themselves and the importance of
relationships within the family, with friends and with the
larger community amidst the hustle and bustle of daily life.
KEY ACTIVITIES
T
OTHER ACTIVITIES
•• Home-based Wednesday Prayer Meets – every alternate
Wednesday at Central locations
•• 14th CHOICE Asia Conference (Falling In Love Again),
Bandung Indonesia, from 5-9 June 2013
•• CHOICE Gotong Royong Day in November 2013
•• CHOICE Anniversary Celebration in December 2013
Year2012
2013
Weekend Programmes Participants 5
90
6
140
he Catholic Engaged Encounter’s (CEE) mission
statement is: “To help couples discover themselves
and live out the call to be one in the Sacrament of
Holy Matrimony as a Life-giving and Lifelong Commitment”.
KEY ACTIVITIES
Since 1982, CEE has been conducting marriage preparation
programmes for couples who are planning to get married
in the Catholic Church or for those who want to deepen
their relationships. Couples do not need to be engaged to
attend a CEE weekend. Couples are advised to attend a
weekend at least six months before their intended wedding
date. Couples will not be accepted after their wedding day.
Couple Combination
The programme provides the atmosphere and the
opportunity for couples to seriously discuss their strengths,
weaknesses, goals, desires and ambitions. The weekend is
an experience where couples participate in a process of
self-discovery and mutual affirmation. It is a compulsory
live-in weekend experience where the men and women are
roomed separately.
In 2013, six CHOICE Weekends were conducted for 140
participants including one that catered to Bahasa Indonesiaspeaking participants. About 9% of the participants were
non-Catholics. The age-group breakdown is as follows:
•• 18 to 24 years: 30.7%
•• 25 to 30 years: 40.7%
•• 31 to 40 years: 28.6%
The programme starts at 8pm on Friday and ends at 6pm
on Sunday. Each weekend is facilitated by a team of one
priest and two married couples, together with two to three
house-couples, all of whom live-in during the weekend.
The presentations are divided into three blocks: the
Communication Block, the Marriage Relationship Block and
the Sacramental Block. Participating couples are expected
to attend the entire weekend, as every session builds upon
previous sessions into an integrated programme. A talk on
Natural Family Planning (NFP) is presented on Saturday
evening and participants are encouraged to sign up for a
NFP course conducted at the various church centres.
choice.org.sg
@
Catholic
Mixed
Total
2012
268
396
664
2013
216
332
548
A total of 152 and 150 couples signed up for sessions on
Natural Family Planning in 2012 and 2013 respectively.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
•• CEE Singapore continued to support counterparts from
Penang with presenting couples and priests in 2013.
•• A new board was elected in August 2013 to serve for
two years (from September 2013 to August 2015).
•• A series of events was held as part of the community’s
spiritual enrichment. The events included a Lenten
reflection and outdoor Stations of the Cross in March
2013; a day of recollection in October 2013; and an
Advent reflection in December 2013.
•• CEE Singapore celebrated its 31st anniversary in
September 2013 with mass, followed by buffet dinner at
St Francis Xavier Church.
•• Presenting couples and priests are in the midst of writing
their talks to the revised outline from CEE International.
The team has started presenting CEE weekends using
the revised outline and target to cross over to the new
outline by 2015.
•• 18 weekends have been planned for 2014.
catholic.org.sg/ceespore
registration@choice.org.sg
@
ceespore-reg1@catholic.org.sg (Registration)
9790 0537 (Hillary)
@
ceespore-pr@catholic.org.sg (Enquiries)
9046 2297 (Albert)
A total of 21 weekends were conducted in 2012 and 15
weekends were conducted in 2013.
6782 3912 / 98249087 (Francis & Mary)
9760 0826 (Felicia)
Programme Coordinators (Singles): ALBERT QUAH, FELICIA
Programme Coordinators (Couples): KELVIN & ANGELA TAN
Spiritual Director: FR FREDERICK QUEK
Spiritual Advisor (until June 2013): SR ANGELINE LIM, FMDM
Spiritual Advisor (June 2013 – Present): SR AGNES-CLAIRE KOH, RGS
15
National Coordinators BENEDICT & AGATHA CHO
Spiritual Director FR ALOYSIUS ONG
16
MARRIAGE PREPARATION
COURSE
NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING
T
he Marriage Preparation Course is a Catholicrooted programme that is designed to help
couples enter into marriage armed with a
permanent commitment to grow in their own couple love
through loving communication with each other and having
a Christ-centred relationship. The programme focuses on
various aspects of marriage including family matters, inlaws, money matters, sex, children and spirituality. It also
highlights the significance of living a sacramental marriage
and the teachings contained in Humanae Vitae. Couples are
encouraged to attend the course at least six months before
their marriage date. The programme consists of six half-day
sessions spread over six weeks, with each session building
on the previous sessions into a fully integrated programme.
Apart from lecture-style sessions, the course is structured
to enable engaged couples to meet in smaller groups at
home with a presenting couple.
KEY ACTIVITIES
In 2013, we moved from St Joseph’s Institution (SJI)
to Catholic Junior College (CJC). Four courses were
conducted in 2013 – one per quarter, with a total of 315
engaged couples participating. 36.5% were Catholic couples
(both partners were Catholics), 62.5% were mixed couples
(one partner was Catholic) and 1% were couples from
other faiths (both partners were non-Catholics).
Details
Catholic Couples
Mixed Couples
Non-Catholic Couples
Total
2012
2013
122
174
9
305
115
196
4
315
T
he Natural Family Planning (NFP) Service
was established in 1973 to provide a morally
acceptable way of family planning in the light of
the Church’s teaching as stated by Pope Paul VI: “In the task
of transmitting life, therefore, they are not free to proceed
completely at will, as if they could determine in a wholly
autonomous way the honest path to follow; but they must
conform their activity to the creative intention of God...”
(Humanae Vitae, 1968).
CORE MEETING
With the retirement of some MPC presenters, the first core
meeting was held on 2 January 2013 to discuss appointments
and draw up an MPC framework. The following couples
were appointed:
•• MPC Coordinators: Sebastian & Aileen Chow
•• Registration/Secretary: Ronnie & Grace
•• Treasurer: William & Shannen Koh
•• Scheduling: Gerry & Martha Ong
•• Public Relations: Peter & Rita Toh
•• Liturgy: Ernest & Evelyn Leong
•• F&B: Steven & Louisa Foo
•• Supplies: Michael & Phyllis Go
A parish-based service for all persons, it is managed by a
committee elected every two years with a group of about
30 trained and dedicated instructors and trainees.
The service is open to all who subscribe to the prolife philosophy and gathers most of its clients through
Marriage Preparation Courses (MPC) and Catholic Engaged
Encounter (CEE).
WORKSHOP
Two MPC Workshops were conducted in October 2013 by
the MPC coordinators together with another presenting
couple, to prepare two newly-joined presenting couples
for the 2014 presentations. The total number of MPC
presenting couples stands at 40.
KEY ACTIVITIES
The overall number of couples seen at NFP’s 14 centres in
2013 saw a marginal decrease. 70% of couples came from
MPC and 25% of couples came from CEE.
GENERAL MEETING
A general meeting was called to discuss the outline of the
MPC Constitution on 25 November 2012.The ‘Constitution
Subcommittee’ was tasked to formulate the Constitution.
On 24 November 2013, the Constitution Subcommittee
presented a draft to the MPC community.
Year2012
2013
New Couples
Repeat Visits
299
489
THANKSGIVING MASS
A Thanksgiving Mass was celebrated by Fr Anthony Ho on
the Feast of Christ the King on 25 November at The Church
of the Holy Spirit to thank the Lord for His abundant
blessings on the MPC Apostolate in 2013.
Following the conference, a five-day teacher’s training
programme was organised and three of NFP’s instructors
participated.
The conference and training programme was an opportunity
for the NFP teachers to meet fellow teachers of the Billings
Ovulation Method™ from around the world, sharing their
experiences and gathering new updates on the Method’s
development which has been used to instruct couples for
over four decades.
AFFILIATE OF WOOMB INTERNATIONAL
Having promoted and imparted the Billings Ovulation
Method™ since the early 1970s, the NFP service in
Singapore was officially inducted into the international
Billings family worldwide in August 2013.
With the affiliation, Singapore NFP services now have access
to the materials and resources provided by Billings, and
learners can be assured that the theory and instructions
will be consistent with the information passed on by trained
certified teachers.
MEETINGS AND CONTINUING EDUCATION
The NFP steering committee met in January, March, April,
July and October in 2013. The biannual general meeting,
originally scheduled for end 2013 had been postponed to
January 2014, seeing most of the key office holders retaining
their post for a further two-year term.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Continuing Medical Education (CME) for instructors was
held four times in 2013 at the Church of Christ the King;
prior to the MPC weekend when the NFP session was to
be delivered.
PRAYER MEETING
Outside the course, our presenting couples are organised
into Cenacles. They meet weekly for prayer and fellowship.
Apart from the prayer meetings, some also attend Friday
talks held at the Catholic Spirituality Centre.
catholic.org.sg/mpc
@
MPCSingapore@gmail.com
6523 9224 / 9839 9840 (Grace & Ronnie)
naturalfamilyplanning.sg
@
enquiry@naturalfamilyplanning.sg
9106 1990 (Sybil)
9649 3521 (Pollen)
Coordinators SEBASTIAN & AILEEN CHOW
Spiritual Director FR ANTHONY HUTJES, SS.CC
17
291
445
WOOMB CONFERENCE
The Biennial International Conference was represented by
a Singapore delegate of 17 teachers, spouses and families.
Held outside of Melbourne for the first time, the East
Malaysian city of Kuching, Sarawak played host to the event,
held from 26 to 28 April 2013.
SOCIAL ACTIVITY
An annual family gathering at SAFRA Changi chalet was held
on 2 November 2013. As with all past social gatherings, it
was a day filled with fun, games, good food and fellowship.
Programme Coordinator MR POLLEN SOH
Spiritual Director FR DAVID GARCIA, OP
18
COUPLE EMPOWERMENT
PROGRAMME
WORLDWIDE
MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER
S
ince 2006, the Couple Empowerment Programme
(CEP) targets at young married couples, primarily
those married between one and five years but also
including those up to their 10th year of marriage. CEP has
developed the groundwork for promoting post-marriage
catechesis and support programmes for the young marrieds.
CEP’s objectives include establishing a programme for
young married couples on the Church’s teachings, life skills
and parenting, and establishing a support centre for couple
sharing, couple discussions and exercises. CEP reaches out
to all couples who are keen on enhancing their marriages
and offers assistance to couples who are going through
difficulties.
KEY ACTIVITIES
CEP presented the eighth CEP at the Church of St Mary
of the Angels (SMOTA) to 41 couples from 23 June to
26 August 2013. The programme covered issues such as
recognising the threats to modern-day marriages, learning
how to love the in-laws and living in integrated marital
spirituality. Two follow-up programmes, consisting of eight
sessions, were conducted for the couples.
Year2012
2013
New Couples
31
MADE FOR MORE (FOLLOW-UP PROGRAMME)
In collaboration with FLS, CEP introduced Made For More,
a pilot sexuality training programme for parents, focusing
on the realities and challenges young people face when it
comes to relationships and intimacy. This was attended by
12 couples in October.
NEIGHBOURHOOD COMMUNITY CIRCLES (NCC)
Similar to the CCCs, the Neighbourhood Community
Circles (NCCs) was a pilot project introduced at the Church
of St Francis Xavier (SFX) in 2012, where CEP reintegrates
couples back to their parish after attending the programme.
Three such NCCs, involving 28 couples, were formed. Two
NCCs were from SFX and one was from SMOTA. These
NCCs are ideal platforms for parish-level family life groups.
he Worldwide Marriage Encounter (WWME)
weekend offers married couples an opportunity
to spend time together to focus on each other. It
offers tools for building and maintaining a strong marriage
in today’s world.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
Each weekend is facilitated by a team comprising of three
Catholic couples and a priest. The weekend format is
designed for married couples to communicate openly and
honestly with each other, without any sharing in groups,
therapy or marriage counselling.
STATIONS OF THE CROSS LENTEN EXPERIENCE
The Stations of the Cross Lenten experience – Couples
“accompanied” Jesus on the way to Calvary in the Stations
of the Cross at ME House. This Lenten experience was
specially designed for married couples on 20 March 2013.At
each station, couples spent time reflecting on the struggles
they faced in their relationship.
KEY ACTIVITIES
Nine weekends were conducted for English-speaking
couples, priests and religious, and three weekends were for
Mandarin-speaking couples, priests and religious.
ANCHORING YOUR FAMILY IN FAITH
Anchoring Your Family In Faith is an elective follow-up
programme offering a simple and foundational teaching on
the six basic tenets of faith (The Trinity, Sins And Forgiveness,
Salvation History, Incarnation, The Cross And Resurrection,
and The Communion Of The Church). This is to enable
parents to pass on the faith to their children and family
members.This programme was produced by the Dominican
Sisters in association with Maryvale Institute, UK, and ran as
a pilot programme for the SMOTA participants.
Couples attended
2012
2013
127
23
139
20
2012
2013
English
Mandarin
3
0
1
7
Religious attended* 2012
2013
English
Mandarin
4
0
0
1
English
Mandarin
Priests attended
41
COUPLE COMMUNITY CIRCLES (CCC)
There are five Couple Community Circles (CCCs) meeting
once a month to pray, to deepen their faith, to reinforce
the marriage enrichment tools and to have fellowship as
a community. In the CCCs, there are several couples with
interfaith marriages who are open to the Church’s teachings
when discussing about faith.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
CEP RETREAT
In December, the core team and some SMOTA participants
came together at the Civil Service Club for a retreat to
reflect on work done in 2013 and also plan for 2014. Fr
Edward Lim, OCD, joined in the retreat and led in prayer
and reflection.
*Taiwanese Bishop together with 6 priests
FORMATION WEEKENDS
Formation Weekends for new presenting teams were
conducted in March 2013 (English) and May 2013 (Mandarin).
MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER DINNER & DANCE
Couples had a wonderful time at the ME Dinner &
Dance held in a country club’s ballroom on 20 April 2013.
Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Chia was the Guest of
Honour. The event was a costume party with the theme
“Movie Night”.
TEAM ENRICHMENT “GROW IN HOLINESS”
WWME community couples were at ME House on 27 April
2013 to participate in the Team Enrichment programme
conducted by WWME Asia Ecclesial Couple, Daniel &
Shelley, and Fr Paul, Singapore’s National Ecclesial Priest.
WWME 34TH ANNIVERSARY MASS
WWME celebrated its 34th Anniversary Mass on 14
September with over 100 couples renewing their marriage
vows. 51 couples celebrated their milestone wedding
anniversaries from five years to more than 50 years. The
mass was held at the Church of the Holy Spirit, celebrated
by Archbishop Emeritus Nicholas Chia, Fr Paul Goh and Fr
Louis Loiseau.
WWME (MANDARIN) 27TH ANNIVERSARY
WWME (Mandarin) celebrated its 27th Anniversary on 12
October at the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
cep-sg.org
@
goto_cep@hotmail.com
9105 9921 (Victor & Annabelle)
mesingapore.org
@
secretariatme@gmail.com
6356 7662 (Stanley & Esme)
9857 9075 (Jason & Andrea)
Programme Coordinator BERNARD & YING THIO
Spiritual Director FR DAVID GARCIA, OP
19
T
CEP CHARTER
The CEP Charter, which is underpinned by the encyclical
teachings of Humanae Vitae, serves to root all married
people in a true Catholic life, and restore the vocation of
marriage to an evangelical calling, which is to bear light to
others. Eight CEP couples have committed themselves to
the charter in front of the CEP community as well as the
SMOTA congregation during the CEP graduation mass.
National Coordinators PATRICK AND RACHEL TEE
Spiritual Director FR PAUL GOH
20
COUPLES FOR CHRIST
C
ouples for Christ (CFC) is a movement for the
renewal and strengthening of Christian family life.
It is a cradle-to-tomb family life ministry. Couples
for Christ is recognised by the Vatican through its Pontifical
Council for the Laity as a private international association of
the faithful, with juridical personality, according to Canons
298-311 and 321-329 of the Code of Canon Law. CFC
Singapore is an affiliate of the Family Life Society, as well as
operating under the Evangelisation Offices of Parishes and
Dioceses. CFC obtained official approval as a Registered
Society in Singapore on 14 March 2005.
KEY ACTIVITIES
EVANGELISATION
In its 26th year in Singapore, CFC conducted 10 Christian Life
Programmes (CLPs) in various parishes and other venues. As
part of its evangelisation of member families, other activities
organised to support a holistic Christian lifestyle were:
Leaders Retreat at CAEC, the Cana Theme Conference at
Spring Singapore Auditorium, the 26th Anniversary picnic at
Sengkang Park, the Annual Sportsfest, Year-end Thanksgiving
gatherings, as well as the monthly corporate prayer assemblies
and teaching nights.
MISSION
This refers to conducting CFC programmes, retreats and
teachings to CFC communities in other countries by the
Mission Ready Teams (MRTs). For 2013, the MRTs went to
the Greater Mekong Area, Phuket, Chiang Mai, and China.
CFC continued to support CFC Timor Leste financially and
pastorally.
FAMILY MINISTRIES
Continuing formation teachings and programmes were
conducted for the different ministries:
• Kids for Christ (KFC) – KFC Global Day of Service
and Kids Got Talent event
• Youth for Christ (YFC) – three Youth Camps, Leaders
Training and Discovery Weekend
RETROUVAILLE
R
• Singles for Christ (YFC) – Discovery Weekend
Retreats, Princess Diaries / Knights Tales Retreat,
Blessed Conference, Engagement Retreat and Young
Couples Transition programme
• Handmaids of the Lord (HOLD) – All Women
Conference and Handmaids Enrichment Retreat
CFC Ministries: Members 2012
Couples for Christ
Servants of the Lord
Handmaids of the Lord
Singles for Christ
Youth for Christ
Kids for Christ
etrouvaille provides couples undergoing marital
problems (including those who are considering
marriage separation and those who are already
separated or divorced) with the help that they need.
The programme is made up of three phases: the weekend
experience, a post-weekend experience and the CORE
experience. The weekend experience begins on a Friday
night and ends on Sunday with a Eucharistic celebration.
2013
618
28
74
549
261
203
730
34
86
624
288
146
The post-weekend experience consists of 12 sessions
presented in six weekly follow-ups where weekend concepts
are further discussed and new concepts are introduced.
After the post-weekend sessions, couples are offered
a CORE programme where ongoing mutual support
continues. This programme is open to all regardless of faith
and race.
SOCIAL MINISTRIES
As in previous years, CFC continues to manage the Answering
the Cry of the Poor (ANCOP) ministry’s Adopt-a-Scholar
programme on behalf of sponsors in Singapore who are CFC
members. In collaboration with Caritas Humanitarian Aid &
Relief Initiatives, Singapore (CHARIS). We continue to have
monthly visits to the Gift of Love Home (Missionaries of
Charity). A special “Hospice Day Out” was organised for the
residents and sisters of the home in September.
COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT DAY
Retrouvaille Singapore’s annual Community Enrichment Day
was conducted by Sr Florence Wong, FMDM, for couples
who had previously attended Retrouvaille. The theme was
“Improving Our Marriage Through Discipleship”.
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL MEETING (ICM)
For the first time, Retrouvaille Singapore sent a couple
to represent the community, as well as the Asia/Oceania
region, at the annual Retrouvaille ICM, where Retrouvaille
communities from around the world gathered to seek
enrichment and encouragement, and to share information
and experiences that will enhance the ministry. The 2013
ICM was held from 13 to 15 September in Orlando, USA.
KEY ACTIVITIES
Year
2013 Weekend #54
17 Couples
(5 – 7 April 2013)
Weekend #55
15 Couples
(31 May – 2 June 2013)
Weekend #56
13 Couples, 1 Priest
(30 August – 1 September 2013)
Total
45 Couples, 1 Priest
PASTORAL FORMATION
The formation teachings were carried out by all ministries
every third week of the month. Special Leaders Teachings
were also conducted with priests as speakers.
GOVERNANCE
The Home Office continues to provide administrative
and financial support system to the various activities and
programmes to ensure that CFC will continue to be a good
steward of its resources.
couplesforchrist.org.sg
@
cfcsingapore@singnet.com.sg
6284 1880 / 8511 8155 (Maria)
National Coordinator PATRICK THONG
Spiritual Director FR STEPHEN YIM
21
OTHER ACTIVITIES
helpourmarriage.sg
@
info@helpourmarriage.sg
6711 6774 (Laurence & Christina Tan)
Programme Coordinator RICK & MONICA TAN
Spiritual Director FR ANDREW WONG
22
BEGINNING EXPERIENCE
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
T
he Beginning Experience (BE) Ministry is a support
group for men and women who find themselves
single again, and are finding life difficult to manage
after the death of a spouse or the break-up of a marriage.
It is one of life’s most traumatic experiences and may result
in nearly unbearable feelings of loneliness and grief. Many
people who have suffered such a loss feel uneasy around
married friends, unsure of themselves and uncertain about
their future.
Monthly gatherings are arranged for fellowship for the
single-again persons and their children, who participate in
social and recreational activities and share an evening meal
together. There are two BE stay-in weekends in the year to
help participants deal with the natural grief process and to
offer an opportunity, through God, for turning pain of loss
into an experience of positive growth. While rooted in the
Catholic faith and tradition, the programme is open to all.
OTHER ACTIVITIES
• Fun and informative workshops, forums and talks
ranging from How To Deal With Teens to Dealing
With Depression were held.
• In June, a BBQ was organised for members and their
families.
• The Board Members attended an Asia-Pacific
Conference in Lismore, Australia in September
2013 to meet up with delegates from New Zealand,
Australia and USA.
• The highlight for the year was the Annual Dinner &
Dance, held at Unusual Palette at Mohd Sultan Road.
KEY ACTIVITIES
Two weekends (14-16 March and 22-24 November) were
conducted in 2013.
Weekend
2013
Catholic Non-Catholic
March
14
13
September
15
12
Total
29
25
1
3
4
O
ur sincere appreciation goes out to members of our Family. You have
demonstrated time and again your passion and commitment towards our
Mission to empower families, to strengthen marriages, and to uphold the
dignity of human life. Your love and dedication have made the achievements in 2013
possible.
besingapore.com
@
beginningexperiencesg@gmail.com
9682 1827 (Jane)
9755 4310 (Mary)
Programme Coordinator JANE WONG
Spiritual Director FR EUGENE VAZ
23
We extend our sincere gratitude to:
•• Our Patron, the Most Reverend William Goh, D.D., STL, Archbishop of Singapore;
•• Caritas Singapore Community Council (CSCC);
•• AllAlloy Dynaweld Private Limited;
•• Benefactors, Donors and Partners;
•• Volunteers and Coordinators of Family Life Society’s programmes and services;
•• Our Affiliates;
•• Fiducia LLP;
•• Extent Communications;
•• Staff of Family Life Society; and
•• All Board Members, and those who have served tirelessly in our working committees.
Thank you. We look forward to more fruitful years ahead.
24
MARITAL & FAMILY THERAPY AND PARA-COUNSELLING
PREGNANCY CRISIS SERVICE
EDUCATION & OUTREACH
JOYFUL PARENTING
RACHEL’S VINEYARD
our affiliates
CHOICE
CATHOLIC ENGAGED ENCOUNTER
MARRIAGE PREPARATION COURSE
NATURAL FAMILY PLANNING
COUPLE EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME
WORLDWIDE MARRIAGE ENCOUNTER
COUPLES FOR CHRIST
RETROUVAILLE
BEGINNING EXPERIENCE
Family Life Society
2 Highland Road LG-01 Singapore 549102
Tel: 6488 0278
Email: fls@familylife.sg
www.familylife.sg