Listening 2004 arrives in Arundel and Brighton

Listening 2004, the Catholic Church's family communication project, arrived in the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton on Saturday, for a meeting at the Friary Hall in Crawley. More than 12,000 people from dioceses in England and Wales have taken part in the year-long pastoral scheme finding out what families have to say about the reality of their lives, their needs and the means by which the church community can offer effective support. Bishop John Hine, Chairman of the Committee for Marriage and Family, said: "It's been an exciting and innovative opportunity for the whole Catholic community to see more clearly what can be done together with God's help to build a stronger future for families at home, in the wider community, and in the church." In his sermon at the Family Listening day in Westminster this month, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said: "The Catholic Church feels very strongly about the family. We do need to do all we can to support and promote marriage and family life, striving for the ideal as Our Lord would want us to do. "We know very well the difficulties, sometimes the separations and breakdowns, but I'd like to thank all of you, especially those of you who are parents, for all that you have done amidst the struggles to bring up your children in the faith, to be faithful and persevere."