As the new school year approaches, parish catechetical leaders, high school presidents, elementary and secondary school principals, high school theology department chairpersons, Newman campus ministers and parish youth ministers gathered for the annual Bishop?s Convocation on Aug. 11 at Lake Catholic High School in Mentor.
This year?s theme, chosen by Bishop Richard Lennon, was ?Catechism of the Family.? Christopher Knight, secretary for catechetical formation and education/superintendent of schools, said the theme was a nod to last year?s Synod on the Family in Rome. Bishop Lennon invited Cardinal Archbishop Daniel DiNardo of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston to be the keynote speaker, since he was among those selected to participate in the synod.
Knight said when asked the difference between an auxiliary and coadjutor, the role Cardinal DiNardo filled before being elevated to archbishop in Galveston-Huston, the cardinal explained it with a bit of humor: ?Every morning the auxiliary bishop comes in and asks what he can do to help; the coadjutor asks how you?re feeling.?
The cardinal also quipped about the weather in Cleveland, which was hot and humid. ?What heat? What humidity? It?s 101 with 90 percent humidity in Houston today.?
Transitioning into his remarks, Cardinal DiNardo said Pope Francis is very concerned about the family, the sacrament of marriage ?and our ability to keep handing on the faith.? For those reasons, he said the Holy Father decided to convene a Synod on the Family. A mini synod took place in 2014 to lay the groundwork and develop a questionnaire that was distributed to every diocese in the world. The synod resulted in a papal exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, or The Joy of Love, which was released in April.
?Eighty-one percent of the dioceses in the world responded to the questionnaire,? he said, adding that in his diocese, it was posted on the website and garnered more than 600 responses. ?Everyone agreed on one thing: it was too long and complicated,? he said.
In Galveston-Houston, many people said they felt the Church didn?t do enough for married couples, especially newer married couples.
Cardinal DiNardo said the synod was a time ?for talking and listening.? Input was received from clergy and laity, including representative married couples from around the world. He mentioned one refugee couple, Chaldean Rite Catholics, who spoke only Arabic. They were attached to his English-speaking group because they were with a bishop who spoke English and Arabic.
?They didn?t say much, but they were a silent witness and brought clarity to our group about some significant issues affecting family life,? he said.
One of the first things the synod tackled was marriage preparation, acknowledging there was much work to do. Cardinal DiNardo illustrated some of the problems surrounding marriage preparation in his diocese, where there are many undocumented people who, because of fear, do not register with parishes. ?One parish said it had 2,000 registered families, yet they had 1,500 baptisms in one year. The numbers just didn?t work,? he said. ?We have to find imaginative ways to work with the people and to accompany them from where they are (in their faith journey).?
Cardinal DiNardo said cultural differences also factor into people?s faith. In his diocese, where there are a large number of immigrants, including Hispanics, some enjoy family events with parades, while others prefer more traditional classes or formation programs.
?But all the bishops agreed that we must pay more attention to newly married couples. We must meet them at whatever point they?re at and accompany them,? he said, adding Amoris Laetitia offers ways to use some of these findings at a parish level. ?Read the document. It?s a great piece,? he said.
He cited the number of couples in his diocese who may be civilly married or living together, yet they delay Church validation of their wedding until they can have a celebration.
?We are trying a validation ceremony, where several couples who already are married or living as couples participate in the ceremony, then we have a parish celebration. This is a way the parish can meet them where they area and accompany them.?
He called marriage a ?precious sign,? and said itis ?an icon of God?s love for us,? as well as ?a sacrament of lifelong friendship.? One of the best things married couples can do is to mentor other couples, especially those having difficulties.
The cardinal said secularism, materialism and our ?throwaway culture,? as well as avoidance of commitment by many young people are troublesome. He asked members of the family life staff in his diocese to make recommendations to deal with these issues.
One positive sign Cardinal DiNardo is seeing in his diocese is a resurgence of men?s groups. He said at least 15 groups meet regularly for prayer and discussion in order to help members focus on being good husbands and fathers.
There are many challenges to family life in Galveston-Houston, including poverty, immigration and the high number of incarcerated.
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