On Feb. 14, feast of St. Valentine, the patron saint of lovers, Pope Francis will meet with engaged couples to celebrate “The Joy of Yes Forever.” The initiative is promoted by the Pontifical Council for the Family.
Engaged couples who have already attended or are presently going through the courses of marriage preparation are invited to the meeting with the Holy Father, which will be held in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, at 11 a.m.
For registration, no later than Jan. 30, 2014, please visit the Diocesan Offices for the Family, or the offices of lay movements and associations, or send an email to: events@family.va.
In announcing the event, which will be the first official meeting of Pope Francis with engaged couples, the president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia said, “The Holy Father has repeatedly urged those who are in love and young married couples to live the faithful and fruitful joy that grows in holiness, as they follow the model of the Holy Family and welcome Christ into the life of their family, which is renewed each day and forever by the full and free gift of self in the sacramental love, penetrated by the grace of the Paschal Mystery.”
At the encounter with the young people of Umbria, in Assisi, on Oct. 4, 2013, Pope Francis said, “What is marriage? It is a true and authentic vocation, as are the priesthood and the religious life. Two Christians who marry have recognized the call of the Lord in their own love story, the vocation to form one flesh and one life from two, male and female. And the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony envelops this love in the grace of God, it roots it in God himself. By this gift, and by the certainty of this call, you can continue on assured; you have nothing to fear; you can face everything together!”
For more information, contact Mary Lou Hughes, co-director for Faith and Family Life Formation, Office of Lifelong Faith Formation, Diocese of Camden, Marylou.hughes@camdendiocese.org, 856-583-6132.
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