The heritage of Catholic families

What is our heritage as Catholic families? Is it our family background with all its cultural aspects regarding dress, practices and spirituality, food and language or is it the catechism, possibly translated into a local language, or celebrations such as those I experienced twice in the last month?

Archbishop William Slattery and priests lead celebrations at the shrine of Our Lady of the Assumption in Jonathan, North West.

The first was the ordination of Bishop Zolile Mpambani, who, referring to his childhood days as a herdboy, described himself as the new shepherd in Kokstad diocese.

His coat of arms contains some symbols of his family background, mountains, sheep, aloes and the significance they have for ministry and the Church.

It was a colourful occasion with many of the thousands present displaying their traditional dress while others wore sodality uniforms or casual wear. The liturgy was traditional but with cultural touches.

The other occasion of a cultural celebration which I participated in was Pretoria’s annual archdiocesan pilgrimage of the Assumption of Our Lady.

Each year thousands of people progress — not process — into the remote North West Province village of Jonathan where the life-size statue of the Assumption donated by the Assumption Sisters has pride of place.

There is a small church, but the truly eye-catching statue, based on a 17th century Italian painting, is displayed in a glass case and is the focal point of the celebration.

Women’s sodalities were most prominent in the congregation and there was a fairly good sprinkling of men, some children — but no sign of traditional dress.

It was an inspiring day, the liturgy and singing were very good and enthusiastic. There was an opportunity for confession and for private counselling while different sodalities led the praying of the rosary. The healing service with personal healing prayer was greatly valued. It was a very meaningful spiritual experience.

Although Women’s Month was acknowledged, on a family-friendly scale, it rated fairly low. Someone even remarked, a little cynically, that as the youth had their celebration the previous week, that week they were left at home to do as they please.

The celebration was really about the “big” Church, not about the “little” domestic church. The archbishop’s closing words also highlighted this for me. He told the people to teach catechism, come to church, visit the sick and the imprisoned, get involved in projects.

Those are very important tasks, but what about growing your family, making your family your No 1 church project? Maybe then the out-of-hand drinking, Satanism, sexual immorality and other ills that were also raised as concerns could be prevented more effectively, as a by-product of growing a family’s spirituality.

Maybe in September, Heritage Month, parishes and families will be looking at their cultural and spiritual heritage. Or maybe next year, being the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family, there could be a stronger family focus at such an occasion. Or maybe another more family-friendly event could bring whole families together, or as many members as possible, recognising that different religions are not uncommon in families.

In 2014 there will, I hope, be much more emphasis on families as units, looked at holistically as that is the direction in which the government is pushing too.

We, as the Church, should not fragment our ministry by keeping evangelisation, liturgy, justice and peace and development separate from family life. All these aspects impact on families; even families that are doing well need ongoing formation.

Promoting the vision is the work of the SACBC Family Life Desk, and it’s built into the MARFAM publications I so often refer too.

Other family movements may have a more specific focus on marriage, or hurting relationships, but they too can adopt the broader vision. The Family Desk is small and I am getting a little long in the tooth and am anxiously considering the need for a succession plan.

Are there any readers out there, culturally sensitive and willing to put their passion for healthy families as the basis of our future Church and society into practice? Let me hear from you at .