USCCB buys tv/radio ads to strengthen U.S. marriages

The Associates Press reports:

U.S. Roman Catholic bishops began a campaign Wednesday to strengthen the institution of marriage by encouraging spouses to perform simple day-to-day gestures for one another.

The campaign, a series of radio and television spots, is part of a broader effort to bring a greater Catholic voice to the debate over the meaning of marriage.

The spots show ordinary people in parks and other public places answering the question "What have you done for your marriage today?" The answers _ waking up early with the baby, organizing a date night _ are meant to promote small acts of kindness as medicine for making marriages last a lifetime.

Missing from the spots is any overt religious message, although they are identified as Catholic and end with an invitation to visit http://www.foryourmarriage.org/. The Web site promises resources for Catholic and non-Catholic couples on everything from conflict resolution to finances.

Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput, a member of the bishops' committee on marriage and family life, said the spots deliberately avoid religion to reach a wide audience.

"Both marriage and family are necessary for the common good of society," he said. "When either institution weakens, all of us suffer the consequences. When both marriage and family grow stronger, all of us benefit."

You can view the TV spots here at the ForYourMarriage website (look on the left sidebar).

I watched a few of the spots and they're pretty decent. I mean, resources could definitely have been spent in a worse way and - who knows? - if this campaign is successful, maybe the CCC might have its next series ask the question "What Have You Done For Your Voting Conscience Today?". Oh well, one can hope.... baby steps.

Flippancy aside, these tv ads (or technically, "public service announcements"), are part of a wider, more serious campaign with some real content for Catholics:

The bishops' larger marriage initiative, set in motion in 2004 and still in the research and development stages, aims to promote marriage as both "a human institution and a Christian sacrament." Plans call for improving parish marriage ministries, a pastoral letter and working in the legal and political arenas to "promote, strengthen and protect marriage."

Perhaps anticipating one criticism, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops emphasizes that married couples have played a key role in the initiative, both through focus groups and continued consultation. [Associated Press]