‘Families are essential for our church’s mission,’ says the Most Rev. Brian Dunn, Archbishop of Halifax-Yarmouth, and Chair of the Episcopal Commission for Evangelization and Catechesis. ‘They show testimony to the Gospel in everyday life through love, sacrifice, and mutual care.’
This pastoral letter outlines a Gospel approach for catechesis in the family, catechesis with the family, and catechesis of the family.
See the letter from the Canadian Bishops here.
From the letter:
‘Encounter between Jesus Christ and our family, and catechesis in the family, often happens ‘on the way…’ when family members pause in the midst of a busy schedule to reflect on the events of daily life in the light of faith: to enlighten, to clarify, to praise, to pray, to give thanks to God or to be silent for a moment.’
‘Families echo and reveal the love of Jesus Christ in the way they give and receive love. Families echo and reveal the love of Jesus Christ when they lay down their lives for one another in and through the daily sacrifices, or self-giving, of parents denying themselves for their children, and of children being generous to their siblings. Families walk with each other in good times and in hard times, in sickness and in health. From the beginning, when a man and woman express their love and commitment in their marriage vows, families become schools of love, bearing witness to the Gospel in daily life.’
‘Today, the family shares the mission of the Church: to go out into all the spheres in which the members live and move and have influence and to “make disciples” – missionary disciples – who are formed and equipped to listen to the Lord, heed his voice and transform the world by love. As sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, friends and neighbours, the family acts as leaven, enriching and enlivening the world.’