Only 213 days left. The earth’s largest gathering of families, the 5th World Meeting of the Families (WMF) will be held in Valencia, Spain on 1-9 July 2006. Pope Benedict XVI is expected to attend the event. The last one was successfully held in Manila, Philippines in January 2003. The main aim of the Meeting is to bring together families from all over the world “to pray, talk, learn, share and go into depth on the understanding of the role of the Christian family as a domestic Church and basic unit for evangelisation.” The theme for next year’s WMF is “The Transmission of Faith in the Family.”
What to expect? The activities of the nine-day Meeting include the following:
International Fair for the Families – 1st to 7th July.
International Theological and Pastoral Congress – 4th to 7th July.
Mass for the arrived Families – 7th July.
Eucharist celebrations for Families on pilgrimage – 8th July.
Festive and testimonial Meeting – 8th July.
Concluding Mass presided by the Pope – 9th July.
The WMF organizers are encouraging interested people to register early. You do not have to be Catholic to take part in the Meeting. It is open for all those “who confess with their life that in order to give a truly human face to society, the peoples must not ignore the precious value of family, founded on the basis of marriage and that according to the Divine Plan, marriage and family are irreplaceable and there are no other alternatives.” And you do not have to go to Spain first in order to register. You can apply through “parish churches, dioceses, movements, associations, schools, clubs or other bodies that the group members are linked to.” You can also register as a volunteer or as a participant at the official WMF website.
Hello Fr. Stephen, allow me to be off-track here. I just posted a very controversial topic on my blog that impacts ethics and morality. Both I and our blogger friend Major Tom would like your inputs being a member of a religious community.