Holy Cross Family Ministries in India, Part 1

“A family that prays together stays together,” is a catch phrase in Catholic circles, made popular by Fr. Patrick Peyton of the Holy Cross Congregation (CSC).  Known for his initiative in popularizing family prayer, especially the Family Rosary in the late 1940s, in the United States, his ministry expanded after his death to include family counseling and programmes that promote family values, in what is today known as the Holy Cross Family Ministries.  And Holy Cross priest, Fr Arul Raj, is the National Director of the Holy Cross Family Ministries in India, based in Bangalore city.  He works along with a team of Holy Cross religious and lay people to spread the work of the Family Ministries both in South India and in the North-East.  Family Ministry in India at present consists of family visits, sessions and retreats for married couples and youth, encouraging family prayer and Scripture reading etc.   Fr Arul Raj was invited as an expert to the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops held in the Vatican, Oct. 5-19, on the theme “The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization.”   We talked at length with Fr. Arul Raj to know about the challenges of India’s Catholic families.  Today in the first part of this interview, we began by asking him about how the Holy Cross Family Ministries began.  Listen: