Thursday 13 November 2008

Pope Benedict XVI wants a photo of your family to add to a massive mosaic of families from all over the world as part of the celebrations for the Sixth World Meeting of Families to be held in Mexico City in January 2009.

The photos will make up a giant collage forming a portrait of Pope Benedict which will be unveiled during the World Meeting of Families event. The Mosaic of the Families has already had more than a thousand photos contributed, but Australia is seriously under-represented so far.

In addition, for those who would like to attend the World Meeting of Families (WMF) in Mexico City, an Australian pilgrimage group has been established, which will be headed by Bishop Eugene Hurley and Dr Ron and Mrs Mavis Pirola.

The WMF is the Church’s three-yearly celebration of family life, with families from all over the world attending, in a similar pattern to WYD. Convened by the Pontifical Council for the Family, the theme of the event will be The Family, Teacher of Human and Christian Values. It will run from January 14-18.

Highlights of the meeting will be a three day International Theological and Pastoral Congress featuring reflections and discussions led by theologians, sociologists, and lay leaders from family organisations, and a Festive Vigil with inspiring spiritual and cultural input from around the world.

The concluding Mass at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadaloupe will be presided over by the President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Cardinal Ennio Antonelli.

The Australian pilgrimage will leave Sydney on January 9, returning on January 21, with an optional five day extension to spiritual and cultural sites returning on January 25.

Dr and Mrs Pirola, who, as members of the Pontifical Council for the Family, are WMF veterans, said gatherings such as this were enormously encouraging and inspiring.

"It is really uplifting to meet people who are both realistic and joyful about family life, all in the context of a huge experience of the Universal Church," they said. "It is like the whole Church coming together to reassess what is happening in families and to set our compasses for the way ahead."

The ACBC’s delegates to the WMF are John and Joan Freeman of Sandhurst Diocese and Kevin and Susie Thomas of Darwin Diocese. Also attending from the Melbourne Archdiocese are Gerard and Anne O’Shea, and from Sydney Archdiocese Paul and Soizic Morissey and their three children. Other dioceses are also hoping to send delegates. The meeting is open to all and it is hoped that many Australian couples and families will avail themselves of this opportunity.

For details of the Australian pilgrimage to the WMF, go to www.harvestpilgrimages.net.au or phone  Ron and Mavis on 02 9349 1710.

To add your family photo to the Mosaic of the Families, send a jpg file to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , including the name of the person sending the picture, the family’s last name, the country of origin and the city of residence. The pictures should not exceed 4 megabytes and should not be taken with a mobile phone camera.