Mission

The Office of Family Life Ministry (FLM) exists to encourage and empower parish ministers to strengthen and support the many kinds of families who make up their membership. The FLM staff offers training and resources which take into account current family concerns and promote creative partnerships between Church and family.

FLM also offers programs and resources for family members themselves. These programs, designed to supplement parish efforts to enrich the institutions of marriage and family, empower individuals, couples and families to minister to one another and to other families.

Additionally, FLM advocates within the Church and society for policies and programs which reflect a family perspective. In the words of Pope John Paul II, “. . . no plan of organized pastoral work at any level must ever fail to take into consideration the pastoral area of the family.”

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The Christian Family

As Catholic Christians we believe the family to be the foundation of Church and society and the most basic of all human communities.

“In matrimony and in the family a complex of interpersonal relationships is set up . . . through which each human person is introduced into the ‘human family’ and into the ‘family of God,’ which is the Church.” (Familiaris Consortio, 15, 1981)

“Family Life is fundamental to the healthy life of the Church and society.” (A Family Perspective)

To be a Christian family is to be called to create a community of life and love, one that evangelizes its members in the faith and trains them to contribute to a just society. Families have the task of forming persons and creating disciples.

“The family has the mission to guard, reveal, and communicate love . . . Every particular task of the family is an expression and concrete actuation of that fundamental mission.” (Familiaris Consortio, 17)

“As Christian families, you not only belong to the Church, but your daily life is a true expression of the Church.” (Follow the Way of Love, P. 8, 1993)

Yet no family can be expected to accomplish this responsibility without Church and societal support.

“Everyone, therefore, who exercises an influence in the community and in social groups should devote himself effectively to the welfare of the family.” (Gaudium et Spes, 52)

“These tasks of families are shared with others, especially extended families, parishes, and other networks of family support.” (Putting Children and Families First, III.B.2, 1991)

Christian Family Links

The educational role of the Christian Family 

The meaning of a Christian Family 

The role of the Christian Family in the Modern World

The Christian Family article from John Mc Dermott, S.J.

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Family Perspective

What Is Meant By A Family Perspective?

Using a family perspective in planning, implementing and evaluating policies, programs, ministries, and services means two things:

1. Viewing individuals in the context of their family relationships and their other social relationships.

As a systems orientation, a family perspective is a lens that focuses on the interaction between individuals, their families, and social situations. For example, rather than seeing a frail elderly person as an isolated individual who needs help, a family perspective assesses what kinds of supportive relationships that person has (or lacks) from family, friends, church, and neighborhood institutions.

2. Using family relationships as a criterion to assess the impact of the Church’s and society’s policies, programs, ministries, and services.

As a criterion to assess ministry, a family perspective provides a means to examine and adjust systematically policies, program design, and service delivery. Its goal is to incorporate sensitivity to families and to promote the partnership, strengths, and resources of participating families. A family perspective in ministry does not mean establishing another church office or a new level of bureaucracy to carry out such evaluation. However, it does mean calling all ministries to undertake this critical process.

A family perspective is rooted in the challenge of Pope John Paul II as stated in Familiaris Consortio: “No plan for organized pastoral work at any level must ever fail to take into consideration the pastoral area of the family.” (From the 10th Anniversary Edition of A Family Perspective in Church and Society, by the Committee on Marriage and Family, National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Chapter 2, 1998.)

Family Perspective Links

United States Conference of Catholic bishops 

A Family Perspective in Church and Society, 10th Anniversary Edition

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