Pope Benedict’s address to the parishioners of St. Corbinian’s parish in Rome.
St. Corbinian’s is the newest parish in the diocese. Last week, the Holy Father inaugurated the young parish. (And it is young! In 2010, they baptized 60 babies!)
Speaking to the community, the Pope challenged them to become a “family of families”:
“give life to family pastoral ministry characterized by an open and cordial welcome to new families, and to favor reciprocal knowledge so that the parish community increasingly becomes a ‘family of families,’ able to share with each other, not only the joys but the inevitable difficulties of initiating family life.”
There is a real challenge in this… not just for St. Corbinian’s but for all of us in each of our parishes.
In order to welcome new families and to share knowledge, we must be willing to speak to each other… to make an effort to speak to others, for how else will we know who is new and how else can we share what we have learned about family life?
This can be difficult.
Often, we find we must scatter at the end of Mass, rushing off to the next family activity, visit, and sports engagement.
Do I know enough families in our parishes? Do I say hello every week to those people two pews away but fail to know even their names?
I think my goal this week is to get to know at least one more family.
From http://www.catholicdadsonline.org/
