I bet you’ve never stopped to think about it but every year Jesus used to celebrate his birthday. When? On the 25th December of course! When he was tiny his mother, Mary used to organise the party and invite his cousins and the neighbourhood children and Joseph would take time off from his carpentry shop and play games with them.

When you think of Mother Teresa who is now Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, do you think of someone doing something beautiful for God in her own particular way remote from your own particular way? Do you think of her as someone so imbued with love for Jesus that it makes her way unattainable? Or is it possible to see her also as someone to emulate, a model for the way she both loved Jesus and those she was called to serve?

Death isn’t for everyone!. This is the opening statement in an article about this important ministry to a very specific aspect of life. But that isn’t true. Maybe accompanying people on this last phase of their journey of life as an outsider, a “minister” of religion or health worker is not for everyone, but in reality death happens in all families at some time so assisting the dying person and accompanying the family unit surrounding them is everyone’s business.

We approach the feast of St Francis of Assisi. This small, poor, insignificant man, Francis, still eloquently witnesses peace to all of us personally, to our families and nations.

With the 50th anniversary of the opening of the 2nd Vatican Council coming up in 2012 there is growing interest and many debates about the Council and what did, did not or should have come out of it. There is one central person who started it all, whose vision it was to open the windows of the Church, as he called it, and so let a more people-centred Church emerge.

Empowered Women, who are they? “As we let our own light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”

WHY WOULD YOU SEND ME TO A HOME, THIS IS MY HOME?

Many families in all races are faced with this question. Having an older person, especially a very old person in one’s home can be a joy but very often also a stress and even a great burden on a young family with all the commitments of children and work. How to deal with the situation, make a decision about choosing to go, or being placed in a retirement complex or home, as one gets older and more frail, is hard for all concerned and needs to be done with patience, tact and love in consultation with everyone involved.

Introduction The modern-day family is beset with problems, some of which are new to all of us such as the technological advances. The family as a sacrosanct institution of God and the foundation of society is under threat….

There is scope for growth Thenjiwe Luphondwana   Family ministry means yes, I am my brother’s keeper. The well-being of the family within my parish is indeed my business. Those parishes or dioceses that have a family life desk (FLD) or somehow minister to the needs of families in their respective areas are highly commended. [...]

Stuart and Michele Allan THE POWER OF LOVE? Where is this more evident than in the family? The mainstay of the family is husband and wife, together as one. Together bringing up children in God’s way with values that support God’s plan. If childless, then the couple can still be a beacon for other marriages [...]