Bishop Terry’s June Voice column | Middlesbrough Diocese

World Meeting of Families Wednesday June 22—Sunday June 26 2022

The theme for the tenth World Meeting of Families (WMOF) is Family Love: a vocation and a path to Holiness.

The World Meeting of Families was instituted by Pope St John Paul II in 1994. The week is organised and promoted by the Vatican Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. Although physically hosted by the Diocese of Rome, in 2022 the event will be multi-centred and spread out throughout the world’s Catholic dioceses.

The limitations of the pandemic are, in a sense, presenting the opportunity for more families to truly participate and offer their contributions to diocesan meetings. The aim is for events in Rome and local initiatives to go hand-in-hand. Catholics will be able to listen to and follow the meeting with the Holy Father via live streaming.

Each meeting begins with a Congress that invites married couples, families, pastors, theologians, and professionals with expertise on a variety of issues that affect family life together for workshops, talks, and discussions surrounding the theme.

The shape of the event has always been fairly consistent, with an international Theological-Pastoral Congress at the start and ending, in the presence of the Pope, with a vigil and ‘Festival of Families’ along with a great final Eucharistic celebration.

Among other things, the World Meeting is part of the current synodal journey of the Church and will provide a valuable experience of “participation, communion and mission” for our families.

In our own Diocese there are several events organised including a Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral on 26^th June at 5pm, and you will find more about these as you read on in the rest of the Catholic Voice.

Just one more thing, can you make sure that you have noted the date for the Postgate Rally which is on Sunday 10^th July at 3 pm in Ugthorpe. Please note that the date has changed since the Yearbook was published. See you all there.

In blessed hope,

Terry+