The goal of the Familia apostolate is to strengthen marriages and families.  There are three different series of programs for Mothers, for Fathers, and for Couples.  Participants are encouraged to grow closer to Christ through reading of Scripture and commitment to regular daily prayer and reception of the Sacraments.  Each program explores a different aspect of the Church’s teachings on family life and helps participants to concretely apply what is learned and shared in their own homes.  The national Familia apostolate is sponsored by Regnum Christi; please see www.familiausa.net.

Here at Blessed Sacrament, we have had one to two Women’s Familia teams for each of the last 5 years.  Teams have met at night or in the morning on a biweekly or monthly schedule, sometimes with childcare, depending on the preferences and needs of the participants.   A typical Familia meeting lasts about 90 minutes.  We have an opening prayer, and then we read the Gospel for the upcoming Sunday and reflect on it together, sharing the lights that the Holy Spirit gives each of us through that scripture reading.  Next, we start the lesson, which begins with a short review of questions from the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  Following this, is a discussion of the reading in the workbook, which is usually an excerpt from a Church document that pertains to marriage and family life.  We then pray and decide together on a team act, which we try to fulfill in our own families before the next meeting.  Our lesson closes with prayer and then some refreshment and social time.

So far, these Familia Motherhood series programs have been offered at our parish:

Created to Know, Called to Prayer:  Focus of this program is learning the meaning of the Apostles Creed and learning more about prayer and how to help our husbands and children through prayer

Created to Be Woman, Called to Authentic Feminism:

Focus of this program is reviewing practical applications of the Ten Commandments, embracing the self-giving nature of motherhood, seeing Mary as our model, and learning of the Church’s high esteem for women and their power to transform humanity

Created to Lead, Called to Act:  Focus of this program is how we concretely respond to our Baptismal call to share in the Church’s mission to evangelize the world, contemplating the role of the laity and of families in this mission.

There are also separate Familia programs for Husbands/Fathers and for Couples.  The Fatherhood series explores the role of men as the spiritual head of the family, and the important role men have in shaping the faith of their children and in shaping their world outside the family.  The Couples series includes programs on the Theology of the Body, the human temperaments and family communication, and a study of Blessed John Paul II’s ‘The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World’.

Anyone interested in participating in any of these Familia programs is encouraged to contact Debbie Gramlich at 727-394-9791 or thegramlichfamily@tampabay.rr.com.  A group of six participants or couples is needed to start a team.  Training materials for facilitators are available online as well.