JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Putting together a parish ministry for Catholics in the U.S. who have been through divorce is “pretty much like putting a car together.”
Deacon Turf Martin, who presides over the divorce ministry at Sacred Heart parish in Sedalia, Mo., however points out that divorce ministry is not like a car that comes factory assembled and ready to customize. Instead, the car comes in a box of parts, and maybe with some of the instructions about how it all fits together.
“The whole concept of ministering to the divorced in a whole program is a relatively new concept,” he told the Register. The deacon explained that there are no standardized “best practices” to draw upon, or even a “formal training process” for divorce ministry persons to go through. But working with the Catholic Divorce Ministry, Deacon Turf has developed a six-month, 14-step program for divorced Catholics. He said the diocese wants the parish to pilot a program that can be replicated in parishes across the diocese.
