Pope Francis has chosen Dublin and Ireland to be the host of the 9th World Meeting of Families (WMF2018), an international festival of faith that celebrates family life in the Church and the World. WMF2018 will take place from 21 to 26 August 2018 in Dublin. The theme will be ‘The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World’. In advance of the actual event, each diocese and parish is invited to take part in a series of celebrations and gatherings which will focus on various aspects of family life in our world today. These will include talking about family life, celebrating together as a family in the Church and in the wider community, and engaging in dialogue with wider society concerning the value of family. The outlook for the event and its legacy is rooted in the vision for the Church’s mission to families and society as set out in the teachings of Pope Francis, particularly Amoris Laetitia – The Joy of Love and Evangeli Gaudium – The Joy of the Gospel.
The Diocese of Clogher has established a Diocesan Group for World Meeting of Families (WMF2018) and this group is liaising with the central organising body and with other dioceses and groups in advance of the launch period, which will begin in the autumn of 2017. Parishes and Pastoral Areas (priests and laity of all age groups) will be invited to take part in the various events and initiatives and a range of preparatory resources will be made available nearer the time.
What is needed at the moment are volunteers and, also, some financial support. An appeal for leaders will be launched soon and these leaders will be provided with appropriate training. A national collection will take place in all parishes across the country on the weekend of 1-2 April 2017. Many parishes have provided special envelopes for this. If you wish to make a donation towards the costs of hosting the event and its preparation, you are invited to contribute to the collection on 1-2 April or to forward your donation to your parish.
Here is a short video which introduces the World Meeting of Families 2018 https://www.icatholic.ie/wmof-2018-national-collection-1-2-april-2017/
