Marriage and family life ministry in the Catholic Church in England and Wales came of age this week with the launch of FAMILIAS, the Association for Catholic Diocesan Marriage and Family Life Ministry.

Established by the national network of diocesan family ministry coordinators, FAMILIAS aims to promote and highlight marriage and family life ministry by sharing good practice and resources, providing peer support and training and advocating for families and family ministry.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor sent a special message of support for FAMILIAS in which he commended its vital work “which has the indispensable task of supporting couples and families in every way that will be open to it.  May God bless everyone connected with this most important initiative.”

FAMILIAS was formally inaugurated during a concelebrated Mass at Hinsley Hall in Leeds on Wednesday, September 10^th attended by diocesan coordinators past and present, and representatives of marriage and family life organisations and movements.

In his sermon Bishop John Hine, chair of the Bishops’ Committee for Marriage and Family Life, told members and friends of FAMILIAS that they have a special responsibility in the service of the households of God. “It is with your assistance that others will come to appreciate the vocation of Christian family life and, through you and those you work with, experience the Church’s loving concern for families.”

Dr David Thomas, Professor of Family Ministry at Dominican University, Illinois, delivered the inaugural FAMILIAS Annual Lecture on the topic What is Family Ministry and Why is it Important.  “Church ministry in general, and most particularly family ministry, is about being prophets and ministers of love,” he said. “We are to be the prophets and the ministers of the value and the importance of love. That’s the heart of family ministry. Why is that important? Because that is central to the life of God and to the life of the Church.”

Clara Donnelly, FAMILIAS steering group member from Shrewsbury Diocese commented: “I hope that FAMILIAS raises the whole profile of marriage and family life nationally as well as at diocesan level and makes people more aware that there are people in the field working for this.”  Liz James from Arundel & Brighton expressed the hope that FAMILIAS will be “an association of welcome and assistance to all those who need and want our information.  We’ve seen a lot of energy here today from those who have helped towards this foundation, which was really good.”