This will mark the first time that the World Meeting of Families will take place in the United States. The WMOF is organized by the Pontifical Council for the Family. Beginning in 1994 in Rome, this international congress has previously been held in Italy, Brazil, the Philippines, Spain, and Mexico. The event has the mission to strengthen the bonds of family across the globe.
The theme chosen for this year’s conference is “Love Is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.” Leaders and scholars from around the world will come to Philadelphia to discuss the critical issues families are facing in the world. More than 100 renowned speakers are scheduled to present information, as well as facilitate conversations in various languages to the thousands of attendees.
The diocesan pilgrimage will take place Sept. 20 – Sept. 29. The package includes roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles International Airport to Philadelphia International Airport, nine hotel nights, attendance of the Papal Mass, participation in the Family Festival, registration to the WMOF Conference, diocesan gathering, a day trip to Washington DC and New York City, daily continental breakfast and transportation to all of the places above (hotel, convention center during conference days).
“I invite you personally to seek to be part of this journey by studying the Preparatory Catechesis for the World Meeting of Families, participating in the virtual event, and other opportunities that will be offered through the year at the diocesan and parish levels,” Bishop Gerald Barnes said in his letter on World Marriage Day in February. “It is important for families to come together in community to strengthen their vocation, deepen their faith and their experience of the presence of God. We all need to remember that ‘the future of humanity passes by the way of the family.”
The Diocese of San Bernardino is planning a video contest in May, titled Our Domestic Church Fully Alive Video Contest, with the goal of bringing awareness to the importance of the vocation of marriage and family life.
Families across the diocese will be invited to submit a 30-second to one-minute video sharing how their domestic church lives out at least two of the four diocesan core values: hospitality, collaboration, faith sharing, and reconciliation. The guidelines and rules will be available beginning April 13. Participation incentive will include a pilgrimage package for a family of four to the 2015 WMOF in Philadelphia.
For more information on the congress, visit www.WorldMeeting2015.org
Questions about the diocesan pilgrimage can be addressed locally to Mario Martinez at (909) 475-5385, or visit www.SBMarriageInitiative.org for more information.