Year of observance to kick off Dec. 29-30

    Catholics of all ages will have opportunities to nurture the interdependent links between family life and spiritual formation during the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ observance of the Year of Family and Faith.
    At last October’s Synod in Rome, Pope Benedict XVI repeated his call for a “Year of Faith” to reignite the faith of Catholics as they move through an increasingly secular world.
    In response to the pope’s reminder of “the essential role of the family in the transmission of the faith,” Archbishop Gregory Aymond designated the 2013 calendar year as the “Year of Family and Faith” in the local church (see the archbishop’s letter above).
    “One thing that’s been in my heart for many years is, ‘How can we get the unchurched and marginal Catholic families involved in their parish and in their faith in a more realistic way – more than just going to church?’” said Deacon Drea Capaci, director of the archdiocesan Family Life Apostolate, the primary coordinating agency for the upcoming year of observance.
    Noting that family-friendly programs and special events would be offered throughout the year at both the diocesan and parish levels, Capaci said he hoped the 12-month observance would serve to remind both active and lapsed Catholics that “the church really cares about them” and offers many tools to help them repair, strengthen and enrich their family and faith lives.
    “My hope is that Catholics (by the end of 2013) will see that the archdiocese stopped for a year to say how important your family is – no matter what your family looks like – and how the many blessings of the Catholic Church are available to them,” Deacon Capaci said.
Begins last weekend of 2012
    The year of observance kicks off, fittingly, on Dec. 29-30 – the Feast of the Holy Family. Before all Masses next weekend, Archbishop Aymond’s letter introducing the Year of Family and Faith will be read to the congregation. Following a set of family-focused Prayers of the Faithful, families will be asked to rise for a special blessing by the celebrant.
    “Our Family Prayer” (also known as the “Prayer for the New Battle of New Orleans”) will continue to be said at all Masses, but new prayer cards will sport the purple and yellow “Year of Family and Faith” logo depicting a family gathered around the eucharistic table.
    Year of Family and Faith programming will fall into three main categories: spirituality, service and fun.
    ➤ During Lent, parishes throughout the archdiocese will be asked to convene small-group studies of “Building Stronger Families,” a booklet produced by Our Sunday Visitor and available in both English and Spanish. Featuring an introductory column by Archbishop Aymond, the booklet offers tips on disciplining children in the Catholic family and promotes the value of practices such as family mealtime, attending Mass as a family and family prayer. A leader’s guide will be available to study facilitators, and booklets will be given to all parish families, even those who do not participate in the Lenten reflection groups. A similar small-group study for parishes is being planned for Advent 2013, Capaci said.
    ➤ Also during Lent – on March 2 – young couples who have been married eight years or less will be invited to a one-day, archdiocese-wide marriage enrichment program presented by Roy Petitfils, a Lafayette-based licensed professional counselor. The program, to be conducted at St. Clement of Rome in Metairie from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will conclude with a Mass. It is co-sponsored by the Young Adult Ministry Office and the Family Life Apostolate.
    ➤ The role of service as a means of binding together families and communities will be celebrated during two “Family Days of Service” coordinated by the Family Life Apostolate. An archdiocese-wide day of service will be held on April 6, while parishes will hold their own day of service on Nov. 16. While service locations have yet to be announced, Deacon Capaci said the days are being designed in a way that will enable whole families to volunteer together.
    ➤ In addition to the many social activities parishes will host on their own over the course of 2013, one event is expected to draw more than 3,000 attendees from across the archdiocese. On April 20, the Imagination Movers will present a concert of family-friendly music at 1 p.m. in the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner. All families are encouraged to attend, especially those with children and grandchildren in the group’s target audience of ages 3 to 10. Reserved seat tickets start at $10.
Trumpeting the special year
    Visual aids reminding local Catholics of the special year of observance include logo-emblazoned banners sporting the year’s theme in four languages: English, Spanish, French and Vietnamese. Banners, which have been delivered to every parish for suggested placement inside the church, also will be erected outside the archdiocese’s three main office buildings on Walmsley Avenue, Howard Avenue and at the Northshore Pastoral Center in Covington, Capaci said.
    Other materials available from the Family Life office include inexpensive car magnets bearing the official logo, and a complimentary printed piece designed to fold over the visor of a car. The visor attachment features a prayer to say before driving and conversation starters parents can use with their children during commutes, such as “What rule in our home is the most important one?”  and “What is one thing you like about our family?”
    Next summer, local Catholics will be able to purchase laminated Year of Family and Faith placemats from the Family Life Apostolate. The placemat’s two sides will list Catholic prayers and other verbal prompts to encourage family prayer, faith-sharing and fun at mealtime.
Clarion Herald series
    The archdiocese will keep the faithful up to date on all activities via a “Year of Family and Faith” link on its main website – archdiocese-no.org. A complimentary Family and Faith app will be  available to smart phone users.
    As always, website visitors can access the Archdiocesan News Oracle, the weekly newsletter of the Office of Pastoral Services, which during 2013 will provide weekly reflections on family and faith issues that parishes can copy into their church bulletins. The Oracle also will offer a monthly pullout page listing various prayers and reflections on family life.
    Every other week during 2013, the Clarion Herald will publish a “Family and Faith” column submitted on a rotating basis by five local Catholics: Mario Sacasa, assistant director of the Family Life Apostolate and the director of Catholic Counseling Service; Deacon David Farinelli, the apostolate’s coordinator of marriage ministries; Walter Bonam, associate director for RCIA and Evangelization in the Office of Religious Education; Judy Gutierrez, a member of the St. Clement of Rome’s Family Life Ministry; and Elise Angelette, assistant director of the Faith and Marriage Ministry at the Willwoods Community.
    To help parishes, schools and agencies more efficiently assist those in need of specialized services, the Family Life Apostolate has produced a “Family and Faith Service Directory” listing the missions, programs, activities and contact information for seven archdiocesan offices that are regularly on the front lines of family-related emergencies, in addition to the clergy: Catholic Charities, Isaiah 43, the Office of Black Catholic Ministries, the Office of Catholic Schools, the Office of Evangelization and Eucharistic Renewal, the Office of Religious Education and the Family Life Apostolate.
    “All of our offices have so many services, but it’s amazing how few people understand the availability and scope of the services that we provide,” Deacon Capaci said. “We thought if we consolidated this into one booklet, if someone calls a parish and says, ‘Do you have anything for hurting marriages?’ we can go to the Family Life Apostolate (listing) and find what they need at Retrouvaille.”
    Additional Year of Family and Faith programs will be announced throughout the year by individual parishes, schools and offices. Planned events, some awaiting final scheduling details, include:
    ➤ A presentation by Dr. Joseph White, former director of the Office of Family Counseling and Family Life in the Diocese of Austin, Texas, and a licensed psychologist, master catechist and author of several books on how parents and educators can pass on the faith to their children. White will be joined at the podium by his wife Anna.
    ➤ A weekend retreat for families, co-sponsored by the Willwoods Community and the Family Life Apostolate, will use the facilities of the Christian Life Center at St. Joseph’s Abbey.
    ➤ The CYO/Youth and Young Adult Office will add a separate workshop track for parents at next year’s archdiocesan celebration of World Youth Day. The day’s traditional workshop tracks for junior high students, high school students and youth ministers will continue.
    ➤ The Office of Religious Education is working on a family prayer book.
    ➤ The Office of Catholic Schools will devise ways to encourage families to come together at school Masses.
    ➤ The Office of Worship is overseeing the plenary indulgence available to the faithful during the worldwide observance of the Year of Faith (see story entitled "Pardon Me: What is a plenary indulgence?") and assist in the areas of worship and prayer.
    For more information on the Year of Family and Faith, go to www.archdiocese-no.org and click on the link “Year of Family and Faith.”
    Beth Donze can be reached at bdonze@clarionherald.org.