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Email a FriendI’d like to see All Saints’ Day parties instead of Halloween parties, complete with candy and costume contests, saint trivia, pinatas, etc. Also, it would be nice for there to be FAR more pre-matrimony formation for engaged couples, with lectures and a mandatory NFP/Humanae Vitae presentation. And personally I feel that the Bible study/adult catechesis programs are woefully dumbed down and uninspiring; we’re adults, not mentally challenged twelve-year-olds. Finally, in our diocese we have rosary processions and vigils in front of the cathedral, which are beautiful, public devotions. I’d love to see more of that—it is a way of restoring Catholic culture and bringing people together. Oh, and one more thing: it would be awesome to have a social for high schoolers in which there was something really fun to do and great food, but with Christian music and an atmosphere that fostered fun and purity.
Family Life Ministry
Posted by Lisa Hendey in Faith on Thursday, August 28, 2008 4:56 PM
This morning, I was blessed to have a one to one meeting with the new Family Life Coordinator for my home diocese, the Diocese of Fresno.
Andy is new to his job, an energetic young man who is a fairly recent graduate of the Franciscan University of Steubenville. He invited me to his office for a “get acquainted” meeting to share ideas and brainstorm. Andy is occupying a position which has been vacant for the past few years in our diocese. In addition to his wonderful education, he brings to his role a deeply held faith and an energy level that seems boundless.
As good luck would have it, the conference room we were supposed to use was occupied when I initially arrived. So we took a brief visit to the small Chapel that graces the diocesan complex. The silence of the lovely old worship space quieted my heart and Andy and I gathered together for a prayer under the watchful eye of our Blessed Mother’s statue, invoking her intercession for a fruitful conversation. On the way out of the chapel, we discussed how fortuitous it was that we would be meeting on the Feast of St. Augustine, following a day devoted to his mother, St. Monica.
What ensued was a wonderful, hour long conversation about the role of Family Life ministry in our diocese. Andy had recent stumbled upon CatholicMom.com and was kind enough to invite me to tell him a little more about my web work. More importantly, we brainstormed about the potential for his ministry here in Central California. Our diocese is varied and diverse, not only ethnically but more especially economically. In his work, Andy will minister to everyone from wealthy families to the farmworking families who work so diligently in our local fields. Throw into the mix a vast array of languages and a geographically vast turf and you will see what Andy is up against.
I’m convinced that we, as a Church, can and should be doing more to reach out and support families of all shapes and sizes. But I wonder, in a concrete sense, just what that support should look like. In Andy’s case, since the job he has is essentially new, he is entering uncharted territory. The sky is the limit, but things have to start somewhere!
So once again, I turn to you - our panel of experts. If you had a chance to meet with someone in Family Life from your diocese, what would be on your “wish list”? Would you ask for programs, lectures, Holy Hours, resources, or simply prayers? Do you live in a Diocese with an active Family Life ministry? If so, what successes and signs of encouragement can you share?
Please keep Andy in your prayers, as he works with his whole heart and soul to support and engage the families of our diocese. I’m convinced that he’s the right man for the job!
Comments
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Anything on Christopher West’s series on Theology of the Body by John Paul II has personally been life changing. There are programs for high school age, engaged couples, and adults.
Being a mother of young children, I would love a holy hour dedicated to families with children. Can’t get any better than time with Jesus!
I would love to see a way of connecting families…like a mentor family with a younger family (or in our case a family with young children, since we ourselves are not exactly young 
.
I recall reading once about Pope John Paul II, before he was Pope, and how he ministered to families in his diocese. He would foster/mentor/train leader families to go out and reach out to other families…much like FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) does. THAT would be a great help…especially when you consider all the people who have expressed feeling lonely and isolated on other threads.
I would ask for more programs bringing together unwed mothers and their children; the kids could have a “fun” day planned, while the mother’s attended a retreat with various speakers ranging from priests speaking about the faith and how to teach it to their children to another speaker talking about different professions these women could have in order to make a better life for their children and themselves. Another speaker that would be good would be a chastity speaker. There are many single mom’s out there who don’t have any support from their churches and they feel like outcasts.
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration, children’s Eucharistic Adoration (our small Catholic homeschool group has sponsored this in the past) & Eucharistic Adoration with the specific intention of praying for vocations…more pro-life involvement…better pre-Cana & marriage preparation programs (incl. info. on NFP)... fellowship between the Roman Catholic & the Byzantine (Eastern) Catholic parishes in the Diocese/Eparchy so that Catholics may, as John Paul II said, “breathe with both lungs”...
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