“Family, be what you are”.

These words of Blessed Pope John Paul II are the inspiration for this year’s theme of the project entitled “Zwieg B’Sahhtu” which the Cana Movement has been organizing since 2008. The aim of this initiative is to offer a series of talks which encourage public debate and promote healthy marriages.  The talks also serve as a means of formation for leader-couples of the Marriage Preparation Courses.  It is hoped that these talks will shed some new light, especially with respect to contemporary Church teachings and approach to marriage and the family.

According to Pope John Paul II, the ministry of the family as the church of the home is rooted in its identity, mission, tasks and responsibilities.  In Familiaris Consortio, he reminds us that the family has four fundamental tasks to undertake as a Christian family. These four tasks of special importance are:

  1. The family is to form a community of persons, in mutual self-giving (Talk 1)
  2. The family is to serve life in its transmission, both physically, in bringing children into the world and spiritually, by handing on their values and traditions throughout its life cycle (Talk 2)
  3. The family is to participate in the development of society by becoming a school of social life, a community of hospitality and becoming politically active (Talk 3)
  4. The family is to share in the life and mission of the Church by becoming a believing and evangelizing community, in dialogue with God and of service to humankind (Talk 4)

The guest speakers for these four talks will offer some ideas for the “practical living out” of these tasks, with the main accent being on “self-giving”.  In the final talk of the session (Talk 5), the speaker will reflect upon the sacramental aspect of the family: in the light of the above “tasks of the family”, and their implications, it follows that married love goes beyond a ‘romantic’ conception but moves to a conception of marriage as sacramental – the family members as disciples of Christ are defined by Christian mission and sustained by the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist.

The full programme is as follows:

  • Talk 1. 9th October 2012 – Ms Antoinette Laferla
  • Talk 2. 6th November 2012 – Ms Christine Galea
  • Talk 3. 15th January 2013 – Dr Robert Tufigno
  • Talk 4. 12th February 2013 – Fr Joe Galea Curmi
  • Talk 5. 30th April 2013 – Mons Anton Gouder

Following the talks, there will be time for interventions from the floor and discussion.

Venue: Sala San Pawl, Catholic Institute, Floriana.

Time: 7pm.