Evangelical - Roman Catholic Dialogue in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania

Table of Contents
Dialogue Co-Chairs and Members
History of the Dialogue
Vision Statement
Statement on Cooperating for the Common Good
Implementing the Vision

Task Force Statements
Sanctity of Human Life
Economic Justice
Racial Reconciliation
Reconcilacion Racial
Marriage and Family

CO-CHAIRPERSONS

Dr. Joseph Meade
Philadelphia Leadership Foundation

Rev. Gregory J. Fairbanks, Hist. E.D.
Office for Ecumenical & Interreligious Affairs
Archdiocese of Philadelphia

MEMBERS

Sr. Josephine Kase, I.H.M. Office for Ecumenical & Interreligious Affairs  Archdiocese of Philadelphia	Ms. Robyn Tonkin Urban Family Council Philadelphia , PA	Rev. Dr. Horace Russell Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary Wynnewood , PA
Mrs. Prudence Humber Alpha Pregnancy Services Philadelphia , PA	Rev. Freeman Miller Philadelphia District of Lancaster Mennonite Conference Philadelphia , PA	Mr. John Ed Robertson Navigators Wayne, PA
Rev. Gregory Brewer Church of the Good Samaritan Paoli , PA	Mr. Daniel Kramer Paoli Presbyterian Church Paoli, PA	Mr. Patrick Temple-West Nutritional Development Services Archdiocese of Philadelphia
	Rev. Steven McDermott Maternity BVM Church Philadelphia , PA	Dr. Ronald Sider Evangelicals for Social Action Wynnewood , PA

A BRIEF HISTORY

Over the years, Philadelphia area Evangelicals and Roman Catholics have found themselves on the same side of certain public debates.  These debates include those regarding domestic partnership, school choice issues, and pro-life activities.  The Evangelical - Roman Catholic cooperation in these areas has stimulated a desire to know each other better.

In June of 1995, Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua, Catholic Archbishop of Philadelphia , was invited to speak about spiritual renewal to the Philadelphia Urban Coalition.  The Coalition is an organization representing Philadelphia-area Evangelical Christian congregations and clergy of various denominations.

Cardinal Bevilacqua's presentation on renewal was very well received. With the Cardinal's agreement, Bishop Joseph Martino accepted a subsequent invitation to meet with the board of directors of the Philadelphia Urban Coalition.  The purpose of meeting was to plan an effective follow-up to the Cardinal's talk.

The meeting ended with a decision to launch a Philadelphia-area Evangelical and Roman Catholic Dialogue.  The purpose of the Dialogue is a very simple one, namely to permit local Evangelical Christians and Roman Catholics to get better acquainted.

The ensuing Dialogue chaired by Bishop Joseph Martino and Reverend Linward Crowe, president of the Philadelphia Leadership Foundation, developed two key documents.  One spells out the identity of the Evangelical - Roman Catholic Dialogue, and is called Cooperating for the Common Good .  The other document, Implementing the Vision , details how this group will live out its identity.

Since 2006, the co-chairs have been Dr. Joseph Meade of the Philadelphia Leadership Foundation and Fr. Gregory J. Fairbanks of the Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.

The Dialogue includes a Steering Committee and four Task Forces, which act as subcommittees.  The Steering Committee consists of area Evangelical and Catholic leaders. The Task Forces focus on the sanctity of human life, economic justice, racial reconciliation, and marriage and family. 

For too long, Evangelicals and Roman Catholics have been not only divided from one another but, at times, also even adversaries.  Recent challenges to living out the Gospel message have caused Evangelicals and Roman Catholics to stop regarding each other as strangers, and to enhance proclamation of the Good News of Jesus Christ through greater Christian Unity.  God has called us to this unity (John 17) and will give us the strength to carry his work to completion.

A VISION STATEMENT

We covenant together as Christians in Philadelphia and vicinity to find new ways to cooperate for the common good of all people. Together as Evangelicals and Roman Catholics, we celebrate the beliefs we have in common, even as we acknowledge that our faith has developed in us strong convictions, some uniting us, some dividing us.  We know and have experienced that the walls of our separation do not reach to heaven.  There is much that unites us, and much in each other's different manifestations of Christian faith and life which we have come to appreciate.

Therefore, we ask: what can we do together?  Our focus here is not with the structural unity of churches, but rather with the possibilities of common witness.  Therefore we resolve to find common ground across a wide range of racial and ethnic groups to support public policies rooted in our united affirmation of historic Christianity.  Together we will:

•     affirm the sanctity of human life
•     empower the poor
•     seek racial justice and reconciliation
•     rebuild the family.

We pray that God will use our united action to shape public life in our beloved city and region as an effective witness to our common faith in Jesus Christ.

Statement on Cooperating for the Common Good

We join together as Christians from Philadelphia and vicinity to reaffirm our conviction that the best foundation for a good and just society is belief in transcendent moral truth.  Two centuries and more ago, meeting here in Philadelphia , the founders of this nation rooted the American government in the "laws of nature and nature's God" (Declaration of Independence ).  In our time it is urgent that all who affirm historic Christianity as confessed in the Apostle's Creed and Nicene Creed discover new ways to pray and work together to fulfill our civic responsibility to help shape public life.

Together we believe that there is one Triune God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - who is the source of all truth and justice; that although the Creator made all things good, human sin tragically disrupted the created order; that God the Son became incarnate in Jesus the Messiah from Nazareth who is true God and true man; who died on the cross and rose bodily from the dead on the third day; that through his death and resurrection, he offers salvation to all people everywhere; that all human beings enjoy inestimable dignity because they alone are created in the divine image; that God has uniquely and authoritatively revealed his will in the Bible; and that Jesus Christ will return in glory at the end of history to judge evil and fulfill his victory over sin, injustice, even death itself.  Not only do we share these beliefs, but we believe that (in spite of continuing differences on issues such as the relationship between Scripture and tradition) they offer a unique foundation for shaping our lives and society in a way that promotes love, justice and wholeness for all.

Increasingly, however, in recent decades, our society has turned away from moral truth embracing relativism and individualism.  The result is growing sexual promiscuity, drug addiction, widespread abortion, broken families, neglected poor, sexual abuse, growing pornography, escalating domestic and youth violence - in short, a general loss of respect for the dignity and sanctity of all persons who are created in the image of God.  Too often, civic culture and the courts marginalize religious voices.  Too often, in spite of many good programs to empower the poor, our leaders promote agendas - whether in the area of justice for the poor or the sanctity of human life, racial justice or marriage and family - that contradict central convictions of Judeo-Christian ethics.

Together, we are compelled to speak.  Together, we intend to offer a vigorous public voice as religious people who ground their democratic political engagement in transcendent moral truth.  Together, we will oppose destructive public policies that contradict moral truth and millennia of civilized wisdom.

We seek no privileged role for Christians and Christian beliefs in political debate and civic decision.  We cherish and defend the religious and political freedom of every person in our pluralistic society.  We do believe, however, that all citizens, including people of faith, should be welcomed in the public square to express and promote their views on public issues.  Those who ground their political arguments on the "laws of nature and nature's God" should not for that reason suffer disadvantage or discrimination.

We represent a broad, new partnership of Christians who have often not worked together to shape public policy.  Only recently have Evangelicals and Roman Catholics begun to work together on common civic concerns.  Genuine disagreement, tragic misunderstanding, and sinful failure have frequently prevented cooperation.  Racism, religious bigotry, and misrepresentation of each other have too often divided us.  By God's grace, we intend to repent and resolve to change.  We do not pretend to ignore or conceal either major theological disagreements or differing judgements on details of public policy.  But we believe that our common faith in Jesus Christ our Lord and our unqualified acceptance of the truths of historic Christianity confessed in the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed provide a sound foundation for new, cooperative efforts to shape public life in our beloved city and suburbs.

Together, we embrace a policy agenda that cuts across stereotypes and traditional party lines.  Moral truth, we believe, compels us both to affirm the sanctity of human life and to empower the poor.  As we work for dignity, respect, and equal opportunity for women and men, we will insist upon the legal definition of marriage embraced by virtually all civilizations over millennia of human history.  Because we treasure the creation given by the Creator, we will care for the environment and all living species without forgetting that persons alone are created in God's image.  We will labor for racial reconciliation and economic justice and seek legal protection for unborn, elderly, and disabled persons.  We will insist on our common obligation to provide quality education for all our children while demanding parental choice in education, especially for the poorest.  In all issues, our goal is fidelity to moral truth, not partisan politics.  Knowing our finitude and imperfection, however, we openly and eagerly seek for better understanding of the implications of our faith for the complex issues of public policy.

We have no illusion that our task will be easy.  Implementing this agenda will require many years of faithful prayer, growing cooperation and patient labor.  We do not seek agreement on every detail.  Nor do we harbor utopian visions of human perfectibility before our Lord's return.  We only seek improved public policies in the Greater Philadelphia region that better promote the common good and nurture justice for all.

No one need fear that this new partnership will proceed in proud isolation or disregard of the rights of minorities.  Our own religious convictions demand that we defend the religious freedom, political liberty and civil rights of everyone.  We reach out to all people of good will, rejoicing that our one Creator has endowed us all with wisdom to seek the common good.

We therefore covenant together as Christians in Philadelphia and vicinity to find new ways to cooperate for the common good of all people. Together as Evangelicals and Roman Catholics, we celebrate the beliefs we have in common, even as we acknowledge that our faith has developed in us strong convictions, some uniting us, others dividing us.  We know and have experienced that the walls of our separation do not reach to heaven.  There is much that unites us, and much in each other's different manifestations of Christian faith and life which we have come to appreciate.

Therefore we ask: what can we do together?  Our concern here is not with the structural unity of churches, but rather with the possibilities of common witness.  Therefore we resolve to find common ground across a wide range of racial and ethnic groups to support public policies rooted in our united affirmation of historic Christianity.  Together we will affirm the sanctity of human life, empower the poor, seek racial justice and reconciliation, and rebuild the family.  We pray that God will use our united action to shape public life in our beloved city and region as an effective witness to our common faith in Jesus Christ.

Implementing the Vision

"Make every effort to preserve the unity which has the Spirit as its origin and peace as its binding force."
- Ephesians 4:3

This document expresses our efforts to articulate the next steps on the journey that Evangelicals and Roman Catholics in the Philadelphia area have undertaken together.  We believe that our initial Statement on Cooperating for the Common Good and the four Task Force statements which follow are useful tools for helping large numbers of Christian people to seek for better understanding of the implications of our faith for the complex issues that challenge us today.  We are faced with the task of shaping our lives and our society in a way that best promotes love, justice and wholeness for all. We realize that pursuing this goal will require many years of faithful prayer, growing cooperation and patient labor.

Our dialogue has led us to view our task as being that of Connector, Communicator and Catalyst.

Connector - using our 'network of networks' to bring resources together to further the work that exemplifies our common commitments. Here we will be a conduit of information and a bridge builder in support of causes, events, ideas and activities that promote our common commitments as articulated in Cooperating for the Common Good.

Communicator - a voice for those issues that unite and concern us. This  voice  could be heard in two ways:

Proactively - through the task force structure, we will identify key issues each year that lie at the heart of our common commitments and promote them by voice, letter, and/or presence.

Reactively - from time to time we will choose to speak out in reaction to events or issues that emerge that are most objectionable to, or, positively, that most support our common commitments.

Catalyst - a promoter of events or activities that further our common commitments.  Each year we can choose a small slate of activities that give a public, active face to our statement of cooperation.  We will promote these activities within our networks and speak out in favor of them with one voice.  Where no events or action is happening in areas of greatest concern as identified through our four task forces, we can be a motivating force behind a new event or activity, not necessarily doing the work ourselves, but supporting the new venture.

Statement on the Sanctity of Human Life

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness' .
God created man in his image; in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them."
- Genesis 1:26-27

We affirm the sanctity of life.  We affirm that through the power of God's love, all human beings enjoy inestimable dignity, because they alone are created in his image.  "For man, the right to life is the fundamental right . But there is no other right that so closely affects the very existence of the person."1

As God's creation, we stand as witnesses to the sanctity of life in all its many, blessed forms, from conception until natural death.  We believe that every human life has purpose and meaning, and that only God, as the fountain from which life flows, has ultimate authority over its beginning, continuance and end.

We defend the right to life of every child.  This life is not to be destroyed through the violence of abortion. We pray for God's guidance to overcome the evils which cause people to justify abortion.   At the same time, we encourage churches to extend compassion and to facilitate spiritual healing to both women and men who grieve over abortions.  Churches can partner with and support pregnancy resource centers that specialize in offering hope and life to women and families.

As Jesus ministered to those with physical, mental and emotional wounds, so we stand alongside all who face the challenges of disease or disability.  We urge churches to welcome and visit their members who struggle in any way.  St. Paul tells us, "There are different gifts, but the same Spirit."2  We acknowledge the gifts of the Spirit that differently-abled persons bring to our faith communities.  We unequivocally oppose negative attitudes toward disabilities that often lead to abortion, medical rationing and euthanasia."3  We urge pastors to gain expertise about the ethical dilemmas that often arise in the humane treatment of disease.  These dilemmas challenge patients, their families and the medical community.  Parish nurses and social workers can add professional skills and compassionate presence to a church's ministry to the ill and afflicted.

We uphold respect for elder persons among us.  The elderly bring great wisdom to society.  They often offer gifts of time, prayer, skills and wisdom to enrich our faith communities.  However, they may also be more vulnerable to their changing health and to changing economic and social conditions.  We urge churches to reach out to their elder persons.  WE encourage older men and women to share their holy wisdom with younger members of our churches.

We seek a just resolution of the implications of the full humanity of both victims and those justly convicted of what are presently regarded as acts deserving capital punishment.  Capital punishment does not compensate for wrongs inflicted and becomes an act of violence itself.  We call for pastors to study and discuss this issue and to propose just solutions rooted in love.  Churches can be in the forefront, promoting compassion regarding this legal dilemma, while at the same time ministering to victims, prisoners and their families who may be within the church or neighborhood.

Jesus said, "I came that they might life and have it to the full."  May we, as Evangelicals and Roman Catholics, experience abundant life within the household of faith.  We pray that, as the Christian community puts faith into practice, it will have significant impact on public policy regarding the sanctity of human life.
               
1.  Pope John Paul II, Crossing the Threshold of Hope, "The Defense of Every Life,"     pp. 204-205 ( New York : Alfred A. Knopf) 1994.

2.  1 Corinthians 12:4

3.  U.S. Catholic Conference, "Welcome and Justice for Persons with Disabilties" 1998

4.  John 10:10b

Additional Sources
   
    James, 1 and 2
    Matthew,  25: 31-46
    Pope Paul VI, Humanae Vitae, 1968.

Statement on Economic Justice

Framework

Justice for the poor is central to biblical faith.  Hundreds of Scriptural texts express God's special concern for the poor and needy.  The God revealed in the Bible is one "who executes justice for the oppressed; who give food to the hungry" (Psalm 146:7).   Typical of the prophetic condemnation of injustice and neglect of the poor is Isaiah's harsh warning of impending disaster: "Ah, you who make iniquitous decrees, who write oppressive statutes to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right ...What will you do on the day of punishment .?" (Isaiah 10:1-3).   Proverbs 19:17 declares that the person "who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord."  The great Jubilee text in Leviticus 25 reminds us that God wants every family to have access to the productive resources so they can earn a generous sufficiency and be dignified participants in their community.  Jesus teaches that he so identifies with the least of these that feeding the hungry and clothing the naked is like ministering to the Lord himself (Matthew 25:31-46).

For two millennia, Christians have sought to understand and implement this biblical summons to economic justice.1   Biblical revelation and the long history of Christian reflection on social justice will guide us as we seek today to empower the poor.

Key Principles

There are many different  summaries of the biblical/theological framework on economic justice.  We attach two summaries that we have used: "A Catholic Framework for Economic Life" and "Twelve Principles for a Just Society."  The following four principles are especially important:

1. The economy exists for the person, not the person for the economy.

2. A fundamental moral measure of any economy is how the poor and vulnerable are faring.
   
3. All people have a right to life and to secure the basic necessities of life (e.g., food, clothing, shelter, education, health care, safe environment, economic security).

4. Everyone able to work has an obligation to do so; society, where possible, has the responsibility to make work available to all; and everyone who works responsibly should receive a living wage.

GOAL: A Living Family Income

The issue of a living family income provides a way to focus concrete dialogue and action.  The following statement of our goal implements many of the key principles of the two summary statements of principles (see section 2):

"We will work toward a situation in the Delaware Valley, the state and the nation, where anyone who works full-time responsibly will receive a living family income sufficiently above the poverty level so that every family can live comfortably with dignity, enjoying affordable health insurance, and contributing to the well-being of their community."

Implementation

A wide variety of institutions need to play their proper part to reach the goal of a living family wage.

Churches.  As we urge other sectors to do more to empower the poor, we urge Christian congregations to resist materialism, share more of their resources with the needy, and increase their giving to effective faith-based programs that overcome poverty.  Currently, American Christians give, on average, less than 2.5 percent of their income in per capita giving to their congregations.  We are exploring the wisdom of an initiative to encourage Christians in the Delaware Valley to increase this giving dramatically, including prayerfully to consider giving a tithe or more.

Churches also have a powerful teaching role that shapes what business, union and government leaders in their pews think about the poor.  By preaching the Gospel and teaching Christian values, Christians help nurture persons who work responsibly and live and act with integrity and justice.  And Churches also run many faith-based social programs that should combine the best of the social and medical sciences with spiritual transformation.  We therefore determine anew to share the transforming Gospel of Christ, teach stewardship, preach justice, and model concern for the poor.

Business.   Business leaders play an indispensable role in creating jobs and treating
employees fairly.  Businesses need not wait for government legislation to develop job training programs for the needy and pay a living family wage.

Unions.  Historically, unions have helped improve the lot of laborers.  Honest,
democratically run unions can and should play an important role in moving toward our goal.

Government.   Principle No. 8 of the Catholic bishops document clearly states a
limited but important role for government: "Society has a moral obligation, including governmental action where necessary, to assure opportunity, meet basic human needs, and pursue justice in economic life."

Next Steps

W e will initiate a dialogue with key leaders in business, labor, universities and policy implementation (both government and grass roots organizations) to develop specific proposals for implementing our goal of a living family income.  The Appendix ("A Possible Strategy") outlines one possible way that will need to be tested and modified in this dialogue.  We will also see what is happening in the Evangelical and Roman Catholic constituencies around the policy goal and identify all possible partners in those communities.

1.  See the many papal encyclicals dealing with social ethics in the last one hundred years; the United States Catholic Conference's Economic Justice for All; Max L. Stackhouse, et. Al., ed. On Moral Business: Classical and Contemporary Resources for Ethics in Economic Life (Eerdmans, 1995); Ronald L. Sider, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger (word, 1997); and For They Shall be Fed: Scripture Readings and Prayers for a Just World (Word, 1997).

2.  The first is an official publication of the United States Catholic Conference issued on the tenth anniversary of the USCC's  Economic Justice for All (1986).  The second is from Ronald J. Sider's Just Generosity: A New Vision for Overcoming Poverty in America (Baker, 1999).
Evangelical - Roman Catholic Dialogue

Statement on Racial Reconciliation

As followers of Jesus Christ, we agree on the following statement of principle:

We greet all people of good will in the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior.  We proclaim to all that God has made every human being in His image and likeness and that God loves every person.  In the sight of God, all are equal.  Saint Paul in his Letter to the Galatians, said, "You are all children of God in Christ Jesus.  For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither salve nor free person, there is not male of female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus."

Racism, prejudice and bigotry are not only shameful realities of history, they are with us to this day.  As Christians, we repent of the hatred and prejudice which have sometimes found their way into our hearts and churches, and we ask God to free us from them.  We pledge to go forward united in Christ's name to oppose every form of racial prejudice or hatred.  We invite all people to join us in prayer in repentance for our sins of racial and ethnic prejudice, and we ask God's grace to build a new world of justice and peace.

We stand together as Roman Catholics and Evangelicals to beg God for his forgiveness and the grace to stand against racial prejudice and hatred.

Proposal

We recognize that racial reconciliation is not achieved merely by uttering words of repentance and expressing hope for healing and change.  We need God's grace to change and we need to back our intention with concrete actions.  We propose that we do some or all of the following actions:

• Distribute a packet of prayers, readings and litanies of repentance to the various churches subscribing to this statement of principle.

• Hold a multi-lingual, multi-cultural outdoor prayer service focusing on the themes set forth in the statement above.  The service would include a litany of repentance, music, readings from the Bible in various languages, a renunciation of sin and an act of faith based on the baptismal renunciation, and a profession of faith.

• Publish as an advertisement in Philadelphia area newspapers this statement of principle, and ask church congregations to co-sign and to commit themselves to work for racial reconciliation.

• Organize workshops, meetings, discussion groups and other occasions where Christians of different races can share and listen to another's heartfelt stories of discriminiation, exlusion, repentance and hope.

Declaración Sobre La Reconciliación Racial

Como seguidores de Cristo, aceptamos los siguientes principios:

Recibir a todas las personas de buena voluntad en el nombre de Jesucristo, nuestro Salvador .  Proclamamos a todos que Dios ha hecho a lost seres humanos a su imagen y semejanza y que Dios ama a todas las personas.  Ante los ojos de Dios todos somos iguales.  San Pablo en su Carta a los Gálatas dice, "Ustedes están en Cristo Jesús, y todos son hijos de Dios gracias a la fe.  Todos se han revestido de Cristo, pues todos fueron entre-gados a Cristo por el bautismo.  Ya no hay diferencia entre judío y griego, entre esclavo y hombre libre; no se hace diferencia entre hombe y mujer, pues todos ustedes son uno solo en Cristo Jesús."

El racismo, el prejuicio y la intolerancia, no solo son realidades vergonzosas de la historia, sino que han permanecido entre nosotros hasta el dia de hoy.  Como cristianos, nos arrepentimos del odio y prejuicio que en ocasiones se ha alojado en nuestros corazones e iglesias y le pedimos a Dios que nos libere de ellos.  Nos comprometemos a continuar unidos en nombre de Cristo, para oponernos a todas formas de prejuicio racial u odio. Invitamos a todas las personas a que se unan a nosotoros en oración y arrepentimiento de nuestros pecados de prejuicio racial y étnico, y pedimos la gracia de Dios para construir un mundo de justicia y paz. 

Unidos como católicos romanos y evangelicos, le pediomos a Dios su perdón y la gracia para oponenos al prejuicio y al odio.

Propuesta

Reconocemos que la reconciliación racial, no se logra simplemente articulando palabras de arrepentimiento y esperanzas de reconciliación y cambios.  Necesitamos la gracia de Dios para cambiar, y necesitamos apoyar nuestras intenciones con acciones concretas.  os Á Proponemos tomar algunas, o todas las siguientes acciones en los meses y a futuros:

• Distribuir paquetes de oraciones, lecturas y letanías de arrepentimiento a las iglesias que se han subscrito a esta declaración de principos.

• Conducir un servicio de oración multilingual y multicultural en los temas que hemos expuesto anteriormente.  El servicio incluiria letanias de arrepentimiento, música, lecturas de la Biblia en varios idiomas, y una renuncia del pecado con un acto de fe basado en la renuncia bautismal y la profesión de fe.

• Publicar en los periódicos del área de Philadelphia esta propuesta, y pedirles a las congregaciones en las iglesias que la endorsen y se comprometan a trabajar para lograr la reconciliación racial.

• Organizar talleras, reuniones, grupos de estudios y crear otras oportunidades donde los cristianos de razas diferentes puedan compartir y escuchar historias genuinas de discriminación, exclusión arrepentimiento y esperanza.
  

Statement on Marriage and Family

Definitions

The family is the most instinctive, fundamental social unit of society and civilization, with its own unique identity and mission that permeate its tasks and responsibilities.

The family is an intimate community of persons bound together by blood, marriage or adoption for the whole of life.  Marriage is the uniting of one man and one woman in a covenant for a lifetime.  Thus the family springs from marriage, an intimate union of life and love, exclusive, permanent, faithful and life-giving, and a partnership of husband and wife living in equal dignity and responsibility.

The family, which emerges from God's creative act, is our first community.  It is the most basic way in which the Lord gathers us, forms us, and acts in the world.  The Christian family is the church of the home or the domestic church.

For us Christians, the ideal of the intact two-parent family founded in the marriage of a man and a woman is the model of family life.  We recognize with compassion that sometimes the ideal cannot be achieved.  Therefore our pastoral care includes single parent, blended and extended families.

MISSION

The mission of the family, for the good of its members, the Church and society, includes:

• forming an intimate community of persons in mutual self-giving;

• serving life in its transmission, both physically by bringing children into the world, and spiritually by revealing God's love for each other and handing on values and traditions to each family member;

• participating in the development of society by offering hospitality to all and by promoting the common good of society;

• sharing in the life and mission of the Church by being a believing, evangelizing and serving community.
  

RESPONSIBILITY OF CHURCH AND GOVERNMENT TO THE FAMILY

A primary responsibility and challenge of both church and government is to serve the needs of the family and to assist it in carrying out its mission.  Thus the family becomes a focus and object of policies, practices and services of  the church and the governing communities of society.

Therefore, it is incumbent upon the church, government and society to sustain, support and promote the family structure and its needs and values for the well-being of each person, the community, nation, world and humankind.


REFERENCES

Charter on the Rights of the Family, The Holy See.  United States Catholic Conference, 1983.
Family News from Dr. James Dobson, Focus on the Family, September 1999.
A Family Perspective in Church and Society, Committee on Marriage and Family , United States Catholic Conference,
second edition, 1998.
The Role of the Family in the Christian World, Pope John Paul II.  Paulist Press, 1981.