'Powerful celebration' of the Church

Sydney
16 February 2003

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'Powerful celebration' of the Church

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'Powerful celebration' of the Church

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By Damir Govorcin

The fourth World Meeting of Families in Manila "was a powerful celebration of the universal Church with outstanding speakers from a variety of cultures", says delegate Ron Pirola, of Sydney.

"However, it was the vibrant faith of Filipino families that had the most lasting impression.

"The city of Manila was festooned with banners welcoming overseas guests, and close to a million people attended the closing Mass."

Ron and his wife Mavis Pirola, who are members of the Pontifical Council for the Family, were invited to deliver an address entitled So many Religions, So many Poor, in which they stressed the importance of the family as a resource in evangelisation.

They urged a shift in family ministry from a focus on families as 'needy' to a focus on families as powerfully gifted.

"We like to teach in our apostolate a pastoral principle we call 'Gifts v Needs principle', says Ron.

"It is an approach that recognises the huge needs around us, and says that one of the most effective ways to tackle these needs is to focus on the God-given gifts in each situation.

"The fundamental assumption behind this principle is the belief that in every situation of human need, God graces people with the capacity to love. This makes every human interaction a potential entry point for God's love."

Ron says the visit to the congress had a profound impact on the Australian participants.

Ernie and Barbara Trevaskis, an Aboriginal couple from the Rockhampton Diocese, also spoke at the congress.

They talked about the challenges facing indigenous families, especially the difficulties in maintaining their cultural origins.

Their sharing on the 'stolen generation' touched the audience.

Pope John Paul II spoke via satellite from Rome to an audience of more than 500,000 of the faithful on giant TV screens in Manila's Rizal Park.

He urged families to "make the Gospel the guiding principle of your families, and make your families a page of Gospel written for our time" and emphasised that "the family, as the primary school in which the human person is formed, is indispensable for a true human ecology".

Australian families were represented at the World Meeting of Families liturgies. Chris and Mary-Clare Meaney from Melbourne took part in the procession of gifts at the concluding liturgy.

They carried with them their six-month old son, Thomas, who is the youngest of eight children and was the youngest registered delegate at the congress.

Other Australian delegates included Bishop Eugene Hurley of Port Pirie Diocese, chairman of the Bishops' Committee for the Family and Life; Bishop Ad Abikaram, Maronite Bishop of Australia; Mons Peter Elliott of Melbourne; Aldo and Iole Gionta (Sydney Archdiocese delegates) and Anthony and Cathy Hill and their children, Caitlin, six years, William, four, and Georgia, two (also from Sydney Archdiocese).