By Fr Robert Llanos, Episcopal Vicar for Family Life/Chair, Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC)

“Luv Family” was the inscription on the AFLC wristbands that were sold in 2006 to promote and help finance the work of the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission.

This inscription captures best the essence of the task required by every member of every family in our Church and in our land to ensure the well-being of both in the future.

Familiaris Consortio states clearly that “The family is the first and vital cell of all societies; social and ecclesial.” With this in mind it must be clear to everyone the primary role that the family plays in the development of any society and therefore the amount and the quality of the resources that must be applied to its growth and well-being.

This is even more evident in the ecclesial family, the Church, since the Church’s very core is linked to the life of the family.

The Lord himself in Mk 10:2-9 elevated the marriage between man and woman to the level of sacrament when he stated that God’s original plan for marriage was that it be lived out as an indissoluble covenant of love. 

St Paul in Ephesians 5 states that this marriage between man and woman mirrors the mystery of the marriage between Christ and his Church.  There is a general consensus in the mental health profession that the relationship and emotional health of the parents is of vital importance to the health and well-being of the entire family and the development of individual personalities.

There can be no doubt then that two things are there: the maturing process of the spousal relationship and the role that it plays in the life of the family; and good Christian parenting for the well-being and growth of the children are vital for the life of the Church and the nation. For the Catholic family this requires a sensible balance between the material, psychological, emotional and spiritual needs of every member of the family.

The task before the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission is to enable and facilitate in the diocese a renewed commitment to marriage and the family and all that that means.

We envisage our role as one of helping families to be healed, renewed, transformed, redirected, catechised, evangelised, and generally to be ministered to.  Most important among our tasks is developing a more effective means of preparing persons for choosing their vocations in life and most especially choosing a spouse for the vocation of marriage. 

We believe therefore, that the cry must be heard everywhere in the Archdiocese “all hands on deck” and “every man and woman to the wheel” so that every family would respond positively to the call to service rooted in Christian Baptism through persons coming forward to serve in their parish Family Life Unit and in the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission according to their gifts and abilities.

Finally, I ask for an abundance of prayer so that the work of the AFLC would be fruitful and effective. 

What Can You Do?

• Volunteer to be a member of your parish, Family Life Unit or work in the different ministries
• Offer your expertise to the AFLC Office in the areas of fundraising
• Give a donation to the AFLC to support its work since more than half of our expenses come from fundraising.
• Call us at 672-4280 or 672-4478 and offer your suggestions or share your thoughts. You could also e-mail us.
• Send a financial contribution to Republic Bank account number 560173217501
• Pray for family life in our nation and for the work of the AFLC