Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
October 30, 2002
Citywide conference focuses on families
Archbishop Chaput presents practical ideas to strengthen families
By Laurie Dunklee
Families were in the spotlight on Oct. 19, when the Archdiocese of Denver teamed up with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to host free conferences at four churches in the Denver area. The conferences, held in celebration of Families Week as proclaimed by Gov. Bill Owens, focused on the theme "Families: Hope for the New Millennium."
More than 200 people attended the conferences, held at St. Mary Catholic Church, Littleton; St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church, Aurora; Regis University, Denver; and the LDS Zuni Building, Denver. All talks at the LDS Zuni Building were in Spanish. The archdiocesan Office of Marriage and Family Life and the Denver Public Affairs Council of the Church of Jesus-Christ of Latter-day Saints organized the event.
Workshop presentations were offered at each location, addressing topics such as single-parent families, family finance management and keeping God a member of the family.
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., gave the keynote address at St. Mary Church. The archbishop's talk concentrated on strengthening families.
"The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us that the family is the fundamental cell of society," he said. "If we want to preserve the nation, we must revolutionize the family."
We can learn everything about the family from Jesus, the archbishop said.
"Jesus entered humanity through a human family and the Holy Family is a model for family life," he said. "If our family is in the image of God, it is a community of love."
However, he added, loving our family is not always easy.
"Loving 'humanity' is easy. Loving family members, friends and neighbors as God wants them to be loved, day in and day out — that's what separates the wheat from the chaff," he said.
The archbishop offered guidance for families by proposing 11 practical ideas to strengthen family life:
•Remember that actions speak louder than words. Parents need to be mindful that children watch what their parents do and they glean from that how to behave.
•Seek real freedom, not a counterfeit. Freedom is not the ability to do what you want — it is the ability to do what you ought. Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand, and we should be responsible to the truth. As Jesus said, "You will know the truth and the truth will make you free."
•Seek wisdom, not just knowledge. Wisdom is a gift that helps us use the knowledge we accumulate in the right way — God's way.
•See clearly and think critically. Develop the tools to discern good from bad, so we can engage our culture and perfect it from within.
•Remember our history. Study the history of our Church community. The past gives meaning to the present, and the present determines the future.
•Live the virtues. What are the virtues most needed in our families today? Fidelity instead of broken promises; patience instead of restlessness; honesty instead of excuses; and forgiveness in place of revenge.
•Revere the sanctity of life. Families need to embrace one of their fundamental tasks — service to life — if there is to be any "hope for the new millennium."
•Live 1 Corinthians 13: "Faith, hope and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love."
•Learn the habit of gratitude. We need to focus not on getting more things, but on being grateful for what we have. Gratitude unlocks joy.
•Turn off the television. Families need to spend more time together. Families are built on strong relationships, and strong relationships are only built and cultivated with time.
•Pray together. Set aside time each day to pray together. The family that prays together, stays together.
Steve and Mary Beth Wollingford, parishioners at St. Mary, agreed that the archbishop's talk was right on target.
"What he said is causing me to do some self-evaluation," said Steve Wollingford. "Especially the part about taking time to pray with my family. I mean, I pray on my own, but my daughter never sees that. I need to model that better."
Mary Wollingford added: "Our society is so fast and furious, it takes lots of discipline to stay focused. It's pretty easy to miss the boat."
Rick Balli, from the Littleton Second Ward of Latter Day Saints, liked the archbishop's 11 points, describing them as "terrific and absolutely applicable."
"It's so important to focus on core values," he said.
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