Family Ministry
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Family ministry is a form of ministry which encompasses a range of activities geared towards families at every stage of their life together, in order to strengthen the love between them, their relationship with God and their service to the wider community. It was first defined in 1980 by the bishops attending the Synod of Family, who wrote that 'Family ministry is of very special interest to the church. By this we mean efforts made by the whole people of God through local communities, especially through the help of pastors and lay people devoted to pastoral work with families.' Parish family ministry initiatives continue to bear witness to the critical importance of healthy family life for people, for families, for society and for the Church, for personal, spiritual, social and faith development.
Families themselves are the most effective means of providing pastoral support for one another, so encouraging, enabling and equipping families is paramount. Diocesan Coordinators are heavily involved in training and adult formation.
A range of church ministries, organisations, agencies and pastors also all minister in a variety of ways to families' needs and therefore coordination is key to effectively connecting needs and services.
The Roman Catholic Church's family ministry includes:
- Enabling family members to deepen their relationships with each other and to appreciate the significance of these relationships for their faith journey and their relationship with God
- Creating opportunities for families to develop supportive friendships within the parish and access peer support
- Affirming the spirituality of family life, and the richness of the ways in which families reconcile the demands of living faithfully in the world
- Ensuring that the graces and blessings of family life are formally celebrated and that the sorrows and heartaches are sensitively attended
- Providing counselling and helpline services and developing structures of peer support
- Safeguarding the vulnerable, especially victims of domestic abuse, so that no further harm ensues
- Responding to enquiries, sharing information about available resources, signposting people to sources of additional support
- Articulating the vocation of the Christian family in all its dimensions in family-friendly language
- Encouraging families with particular gifts to offer them in service
- Listening actively to discern unmet needs and working collaboratively with families to find practical, doable ways of responding
Family Ministry works with three main principles in mind:
- Acceptance: listening, welcoming, befriending families
- Celebration: liturgically and socially, within and beyond the home, community building
- Support: making preventive care available as well as directing to 'crunch time' resources
Catholic Organization for Life and Family
The Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF) was co-founded by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus
Our Mission
COLF's mission is to build a culture of life and a civilization of love by promoting respect for human life and dignity and the essential role of the family.
Our Objectives
- To promote the teaching of the Catholic Church on the inherent dignity of the human person and on respect for human life in all circumstances and at all stages of development, from conception to natural death;
- To promote the teaching of the Catholic Church on marriage and the family, along with the fundamental role of the family in society;
- To educate and support Christian families in their mission in the Church and in the world.
Our Strategies
- Studying and deepening our understanding of the major social and ethical questions pertaining to family and life issues, in order to anticipate their social and spiritual impact;
- Participating at the national level in the public debate on questions that have an impact on the family or on respect for human life;
- Preparing pastoral and educational materials;
- Participating in the orientation and development of the CCCB's activities concerning respect for life and the promotion of the role of the family, including the development of a vision and national long-term pastoral plan for life and family, along with strategies and materials for its implementation; Promoting the initiatives of the Holy See regarding these matters.
- By maintaining links with dioceses and groups engaged in promoting the family, natural family planning and respect for human life from conception to natural death.
In today's pluralistic society, COLF is conscious of the great need for education that will promote the values of love, respect and solidarity. Issues that fall within our mandate include: abortion, euthanasia, new reproductive and Biotechnologies such as cloning and embryonic stem cell research, as well as marriage, natural family planning, child rearing, the concerns of the ill and the elderly, capital punishment, the economy and the family, education, the spirituality of the family and the role of Christians in public life, etc.
Our Partners
COLF is an independent entity and speaks in its own name on subjects within its mandate. It also works in close collaboration with the CCCB and the Knights of Columbus. COLF's office is on the CCCB premises.
Contacts between COLF and its partners are assured by the CCCB appointing two bishops and the Knights of Columbus appointing two of its members to the Board of Directors. Good communication is maintained by the circulation of information and Board decisions to the CCCB and the Knights of Columbus.
Nonprofit Status
COLF is a non-profit entity without charity status. Co-sponsored by the CCCB and the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus, COLF receives no government funding. Donations from other organizations and individuals are much appreciated and help us to sustain COLF in continuing its mission of service to life and family in Canada.