Celebrate the divine gift that is the family

World Meeting of the Families Valencia 2006

El EMF es una reunión de familias de todo el mundo...

The WMF is a meeting of families from all over the world …

Das WTF ist ein Treffen von Familien aus der ganzen Welt…

que se hace con el fin de resaltar y vivir juntos... ... that is held to stress and live together… …welches die christlichen Werte der Familie betont...
los valores cristianos del matrimonio y de la familia ... the Christian values of marriage and family. … und gemeinsam lebt.
La fe y las convicciones cristianas son la mejor herencia que pueden dejar unos padres a sus hijos. Both faith and Christian convictions are the best legacy we can get from our parents. Beides, der Glaube und die christliche Überzeugng sind das beste Vermächtnis, das Eltern ihren Kindern hinterlassen können. Fotos: Busse © 2005
Presente: Benedicto XVI Will be present: Benedict XVI Kommt nach Valencia: Papst Benedikt XVI
Sagrada Familia Holy Family Heilige Familie Fotos: www.wmf2006.org © 2005

INTERNATIONAL, mkf. Still under the impact of the World Youth Day in Cologne and ist worldwide repercussion not only in the young generation, the church, and as a part of it, the Schoenstatt Movement, are looking forward to the next upcoming chruch events on universal level - the Meeting of Pope Benedict with the Ecclesial Movement Pentecost 2006, and the World Meeting of Families in Valencia, in July 2006. The World Meeting of the Families (WMF) is a large gathering that the Pope calls every three years to celebrate the divine gift that is the family. It brings together hundreds of thousands of families from the five continents to pray, talk, learn, share and go into depth on the understanding of the role of the Christian family as a domestic Church and basic unit for evangelization.

«In the family, the future of Humanity is forged», proclaimed John Paul II the Great when he announced the creation of these meetings.

Each WMF is organised by the Pontificial Council for the Family with the participation of the diocese chosen to be the seat.

As members of the Pontificial Council of the Family, Norbert and Renate Martin, leaders of the International Federation of Schoenstatt Families, are working since quite a time with the preparation of this Meeting. "We already spoke about it with the leading entities of the Family League, the Federation and the Institute in fall 2004 and at the beginning of this year", they share. "We hope that the Schoenstatt Family Movement will give ist contribution there. We already have contacted the Family Movement in Spain, the organizational commitee in Valencia, and of course the Pontifical Council of the Laity. We think especially in the home shrine..."

Origin and history

The World Meetings of the Families originated in 1981, when the Pope enacted the Apostolic Exhortation ‘Familiaris Consortio’ and constituted the Pontifical Council for the Family, to which Monsignor Agustin Garcia Gasco, Archbishop of Valencia, belongs.

The first World Meetings of the Families took place in Rome in 1994 and since then, by invitation of the Pope, has taken place every three years; in Rio De Janeiro in 1997, again in Rome in 200, because of the holy year, and then in Manila in 2003. Its main aim is to ‘celebrate the divine gift of the family and to unite families in prayer, speaking, learning, sharing’ and getting deeper into the comprehension of the role that the Christian family plays as a domestic church and the basis of evangelization, according to sources of the Pontifical Council for the Family.

The next Meeting is to be celebrated in 2006 in Valencia and will be the fifth one ever since the Pope first arranged it in 1994.

Every Meeting is constituted of five main activities:

• An International Congress on Pastoral Theology,
• A Congress on children,
• Eucharistic celebrations for the families on pilgrimage,
• A gathering and festival with testimonies from the families, and
• The concluding mass by the Pope or his legacy, concelebrated by the cardinals, bishops and priests of all over the world.

Each one of the Meetings has so far attracted more than a million people.

Initial Program

• International Fair for the Families - 1st to 7th July.
• International Theological and Pastoral Congress - 4th to 7th July.
• Mass for the arrived Families - 7th July.
• Eucharist celebrations for Families on pilgrimage - 8th July.
• Festive and testimonial Meeting - 8th July.
• Concluding Mass presided by the Pope - 9th July.

video

Hay solicitud de voluntarios 

For the Apostolic Federation of Families, Lola y Fernando La Rivera, a couple from Chile that frequently visits Valencia, takes care of organizational and coordinating tasks: fernando.larivera@gmail.com

Any questions and ideas can also be shared with Renate y Norbert Martin: nr-martin@t-online.de

More information in the multilingual website: http://www.wmf2006.org