Office of Life, Marriage and Family welcomes new Director

By Josh Low

Building community and drawing people into a deeper relationship with God and the teaching of the Church is the aim of new Office of Life, Marriage and Family Director, Mark Griffin.

Having recently relocated to Launceston from the Blue Mountains in New South Wales with his wife Ann and their nine children, Mark said the move has been exciting for the whole family.

Formerly Operations Manager of Parousia Media for nine years, Mark said moving here wasn’t something they had initially planned to do.

“However, we had felt where we were up in the Blue Mountains, that we were really struggling, with a parish and community life that just seemed to be a bit lacking,” he explained. “We felt that we needed something to change.”

Knowing several Tasmanians, the idea and suggestions of relocating to the Apple Isle eventually began to develop into something more.

“Interestingly, we were in a period of discernment – my wife and I decided we would pray a novena to St Joseph.

“On the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, Archbishop Julian reached out to me and [wanted to meet], believing this role might suit what I was able to offer.

“We couldn’t deny that we felt we were being called to something down here and will no doubt continue discovering what that call entails as we move along.

“But we decided to do this and give it our full commitment, put some roots down here, and then we’ll see where the Lord takes us,” he said.

His previous role with Parousia Media, Mark explained, offered him many opportunities for evangelisation and outreach in the life of the Church across Australia.

“It’s really helped me to develop a deeper understanding of my faith and taught me how to live that out as an individual, then as a father leading my family.

“A lot of the experience I’ve drawn from the role has been such a blessing and I hope to share that experience and this wealth of information about the beauty of our faith in my new role.

Fostering a strong and supportive community which acts as a hub by which people can be brought into deeper understanding of the faith, relationships with others, and ultimately, God, is what Mark values highly.

“There is an accountability to each other within that community; a fostering of faith and friendship within that, spreading it further and continuing to build community.

“I think it’s fair to say that the world has well and truly turned away from God’s plan for marriage, family life and everything it entails.

“It’s going to take a lot of perseverance and education to address the issues we face,” he said.

“You have to meet people where they’re at, and love them where they’re at, but be willing to go that extra step and not leave them where they’re at but start guiding them to something more fulfilling in their life which they might not even recognise straight away.

“Within the Church and working for the Church, we are witnesses to the faith. We have to live our lives understanding our responsibility to witness the faith to the community around us, and hopefully that witness is a positive impact on people’s lives,” he concluded.