WASHINGTON (CNS) — Two initiatives in February focus attention on the need to strengthen marriage, in line with the U.S. bishops’ priority interest in that area, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Ind., told his fellow bishops.

Bishop Rhoades, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth, expressed support for World Marriage Day Feb. 13 and National Marriage Week USA Feb. 7-14 in a Jan. 13 letter to bishops.

World Marriage Day, promoted by Worldwide Marriage Encounter, has as its theme this year, “Love One Another.”

The observance received Pope John Paul II’s apostolic blessing in 1993, and “has continued to grow and spread among many countries and faith expressions ever since,” Bishop Rhoades said.

National Marriage Week USA is sponsored by the Let’s Strengthen Marriage Campaign. First observed in the United Kingdom in 1996, it has since spread to other countries.

“This project — now in its second year (in the United States) — is a collaborative effort to influence the culture by faith communities, business, media, education and nonprofit groups,” Bishop Rhoades said. He said it involves “new efforts for marriage education and crisis intervention,” as well as promoting “a message about the benefits of marriage.”

He also urged use of the online resources on marriage at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website, www.foryourmarriage.org, and its Spanish-language counterpart, www.portumatrimonio.org; advocacy resources at www.marriageuniqueforareason.org on why marriage should be promoted as the union of a man and a woman; and the bishops’ pastoral letter on marriage, “Love and Life in the Divine Plan,” available online at www.usccb.org/loveandlife.

The For Your Marriage website received nearly half a million visits in 2010, a 23 percent increase over 2009, according to a report from Google Analytics.

The report found that articles on preparing for a Catholic wedding were especially popular. The site offers information about wedding readings, music, ceremony options, interchurch marriages and tips for planning a memorable wedding.

“People visit For Your Marriage because they want useful and reliable information,” said Sheila Garcia, USCCB staff member and the site’s content editor. “Whether you’re interested in marriage preparation or enrichment, or what the Catholic Church teaches about marriage, you’ll almost certainly find what you need.”

Visitors to the site came from 213 countries or territories, with significant numbers from the United Kingdom, Australia, Philippines and India, according to the report.