More parish Family Life Units in the making

In the sacred halls of the Seminary of St John Vianney in Mt St Benedict on February 24, the Parish Family Life Units (FLUs) converged, delving into topics of creation, formation, identity, and mission within family life.

There was a focus on the Marriage Catechumenate, a transformative initiative born from the 2022 ‘Amoris Laetitia Family’ (AL) Year.

Tricia and Raymond Syms, Episcopal Delegates for the Archdiocesan Family Life Commission (AFLC) shared on its mission, vision, goal and pillars which encompasses Prayer and Relationship with Christ, Formation, Accompaniment and Advocacy.

The focus of the parish FLU ministry will be on remote marriage preparation which includes parenting, proximate marriage preparation which assists those preparing for marriage to enter a deeper faith life, accompaniment of couples with ongoing marriage enrichment, accompaniment of couples in crisis, along with accompaniment of persons who are separated, divorced and widowed.

Fr Matthew Ragbir presented on The Marriage Catechumenate which seeks to redefine the celebration of the Sacrament of Marriage, enabling couples to approach it with heightened awareness and a personal encounter with Jesus.

This goes beyond divorce prevention, emphasising evangelisation, faith formation, and vocational discernment, with a support network comprising faith-filled couples, experts, and collaboration with the parish priests.

The meeting, attended by 85 representatives from 31 parishes, witnessed this initiative and its potential to accompany, form, strengthen, and transform marriage and family ministry within parishes across the Archdiocese.

Members of the Maloney parish’s FLU, recognised for their longevity and efficacy, shared insights into its development and multifaceted contributions to the parish.

This presentation resonated with attendees who appreciated the depth and breadth of the FLU’s ministerial outreach.

One participant reflected, “I liked the sharing by the FLU from Maloney/D’Abadie. It was good to see how their FLU developed and all the ways in which they minister to the parish.”

Affirming the benefits of external ministries, attendees expressed that the presence of ministries like BOMA-TT, Communities Alive, and Teams of Our Lady “confirmed their sense of belonging and accessibility to each other under the umbrella of the FLU”.

Participants also shared their new awareness of the various ministries that were available to help nurture couples and families.

The day’s experiences, spanning couples, FLUs, ministries, and information from the Marriage Catechumenate, culminated in a clay modelling exercise. Described by a participant as a “powerful encounter”, it enabled teamwork and community vision, adding an impactful dimension to the event.

These participants are now poised for a transformative journey at a parish level as they aim to establish their own FLUs to nurture sacramental bonds, foster continuous growth, and deepen the understanding of the Sacrament of Marriage, accompany couples  in crisis and persons who are separated, divorced, widowed,  within the embrace of faith and communal support.

For more information on Family Life Unit formation, please contact the AFLC.

Contact the AFLC at 299-1047

email: familylife@catholictt.org