Church in Ethiopia is working to promote family values

Series of workshops are being conducted for Pastoral Coordinators, Catechists, couples, laity councils, youth, Catholic students of Universitites, Catholic Life Community Movements and Young Catholic Workers on “Vocation and Mission of Families in the Church and in the Contemporary World”.

 According to Fr. Hailegabriel Meleku, National Pastoral Coordinator, ‘Family’ is given great attention as the current situation of families is precarious in Ethiopia and the world. “All families have a mission to announce the Gospel of the family, the National plan of the Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat’s summer program is focused around the theme of the family, its vocation and their mission in the Church and the contemporary world,” he said.

 He said these workshops are serving as a good instrument to identify some of the major socio-cultural challenges of families in the local context, reduce unawareness about Church’s teachings on family and marriages. There are also witnesses from families with long years of married life and different experiences.

 “Marriage between men and women and family are not only human design but it is a call from God or a vocation from God, sometimes they say a marriage is planned in heaven” he said. Fr. Hailegabriel explained that the workshops are aimed to help the faithful listen to their calling and live it as per the teaching of the Catholic Church and to make them aware of their mission of evangelizing the value of family.

Fr. Hailegabriel explained that the sessions are also intended to involve families in the process of the forthcoming Synod their active participation in the workshops.

The Catholic Church in Ethiopia is currently preparing Catholic families to participate in the upcoming World Meeting of Families’ congress (WMOF) to be held in Philadelphia, USA in September.

By Makeda Yohannes

Social Communications and Public Relations Officer

Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat