Kathia and Andres Arango, two prominent and local leaders for Hispanic Catholics, will be among the speakers for the World Meetings of Families 2015 Congress, taking place from Tuesday, Sept. 22- Friday, Sept. 25 at the Philadelphia Convention Center.
Held every three years and organized by the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for the Family, the World Meeting of Families is the world’s largest Catholic gathering of families. This year’s theme is “Love Is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive,” and emphasizes the impact of the love and life of families on society.
With their extensive work in Hispanic ministry, the Pontifical Council for the Family invited Kathia and Andres to be a part of the World Meeting of Families.
On Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 4:15–5:15 p.m., Kathia and Andres will present a talk in Spanish on “The Building Blocks & the Cornerstone: Building Familial Love Through Everyday Practices.”
With their audience, and through their own personal stories and a perspective on the new evangelization, the two will share practical tools to help families fulfill daily responsibilities while staying connected with God.
“I hope that our presentation could encourage families to place Jesus at the center of their lives so we could have joyful families,” Kathia stressed. “We are looking forward to welcome Pope Francis, who inspires us to be disciples-missionaries just by his presence.”
Her husband, Andres, added that while families sometimes may feel they do not have enough time for God in the busyness of their lives, “the key element is to be intentional to include God in all our family’s daily routines. It is beautiful to spend time, as family, in dialogue with our Lord.”
Andres Arango is currently the Bishop’s Delegate for Hispanic Ministry and Director of Evangelization for the Diocese of Camden. As well, he is the chairman of the U.S. and Canadian Hispanic Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and vice-president of the Latin American Catholic Charismatic Committee. He serves as a consultant to the Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and councilor member of ICCRS (International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services).
Kathia is the director of the Office for Hispanic Catholics in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. She also serves as diocesan coordinator for the Hispanic Charismatic Renewal in the Diocese of Camden and is a member of the Hispanic National Service Committee for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the United States and Canada. She also serves on the Latin-American Charismatic Committee as the young adult representative for North America and the Caribbean.
Kathia and Andres have twin daughters.
For more information on the World Meeting of Families, and to register for the Arangos’ talk, and other presentations, visit www.worldmeeting2015.org