Lay people associated with our mission

From the Constitutions of the Sons of the Holy Family, n.48

Lay people are associated by full right with the mission of our institute because of the common grace and calling of baptism. They offer excellent support in the furtherence of the cult of the Holy Family, in the Christian formation of families, in the training of children and of the youth, in the missions, and in the apostolic undertakings of our family.

On our part, we offer them a witness of nazarene poverty and work, of simplicity and prudence, of trust in God and restraint, of charity and obedience, of patience and peace, of religious dedication and joy in the Lord while we diligently assist them in spiritual matters. We recognize and further their dignity, their prosper freedom of action, and their consequent responsibility.

Laity: The Formation of Our Collaborators (Pastoral Plan, # 62)

We consider the integral formation of the laity that is, spiritual and doctrinal formation, growth in human values, etc., as a priority, and we include this formation in the programs of pastoral action so they:

a. discover their own vocation and availability, always growing in the course of their own mission;

b. live the communion which identifies them as members of the Church and citizens of human society;

c. share responsibilities in our ministries. We can not consider them as mere “helpers” but as partakers in the same mission, for they too are called to be agents of evangelization.

The insertion of the laity into our pastoral ministry is one of the most ambitious fruits of our ministry.

The Laity in our Pastoral Work (Pastoral Plan, # 61)

In the schools, parishes and other centers of our apostolate we count on the laity as valuable collaborators in the common mission of the Church in which we all serve.

In our schools, they can be appointed to positions of directorship, teaching, pastoral ministry, or administration, although we hold the legal representation and title to ensure fidelity to the foundational gift. The laity can also take part in the pastoral teams of our centers, with responsibilities that match their commitment.

In parishes, the laity have a relevant role in the catechesis, liturgy, charity, and above all, in the different stages of preparation for marriage and later renewal.

The Laity associated with our Spirituality and Charism (Pastoral Plan, Chapter VIII)

60. Within a Church of communion

The salvific mission of the Church in the world is undertaken not only by the ministers who have received the Sacrament of Orders, but also by all the faithful, who, having received the sacrament of baptism, are members of the same church in communion and mission.

For that reason, the laity always have been related to our foundational gift, not only as collaborators in our apostolate but also by taking part in the vocation and mission of the Institute. They can participate in our spirituality and collaborate to make believable the gospel of the family from their secular perspective.

The last General Chapters have insisted on the need to promote co-responsibility among the laity in the life and mission of the Institute, and the Statutes of the Holy Family Association foresee a special juridic bond with the families and people consecrated to the Holy Family and who live its spirituality.

Holy Family Association: Agents of the Nazarean-family Apostolate (Pastoral Plan, #22)

We are the primary ones who must “promote with great care the honor, imitation and cult of the Holy Family” (Constitutions 2), first and foremost through our religious consecration and the testimony of our personal and community life. We find collaborators among priests, religious men and women, laity and families, who share in the same common task, according to their own condition in the Church.

In a very special way, families identified with the Nazarean-family spirit, make of it an essential part of their lives and are a living testimony and effective source to promote the imitation, devotion and values of the Holy Family in the bosom of the family group.

Families will address this task of evangelization, first of all, towards themselves, for the spouses and parents are the priests of the home, and, inasmuch as they can, as a demand of their sacramental state, will extend it towards other families, promoting the good news of Nazareth through their testimony and pastoral activities in those places where they live (other relatives, parish, job, neighbors, friends...), or working together with the Sons of the Holy Family.

The testimony of life of religious and families shows the complementarity of our calls in the one and primordial human call to love, whose image and full realization is the Holy Family, to whom we go to live, in a personal way and as a community, our self-giving attitude towards God and our brothers and sisters.

Pastoral Plan of the Sons of the Holy Family, # 16: The Pastoral Counsel of the Delegation

In order to be more effective in our ecclesial mission, we count on the presence and participation of the laity who share in our spirituality and mission. They are part of our Pastoral Councils, locally and in the Delegation.

Meetings are held with religious and laity to exchange ideas and initiatives and to unify criteria. Each Delegation will schedule these meetings frequently.

Welcome to the October Assembly of the Sons of the Holy Family in Maryland

Sons of the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph
"A Nazareth in each home"

September 24, 2011.
　

Dear ............................................
　
You have been invited to take part in the October Assembly of the Sons of the Holy Family, to be held from Tuesday 11 to Thursday 13, at the Holy Family Seminary, in Maryland.

As an active collaborator in the evangelization and ministries that the Sons of the Holy Family carry out at Holy Cross Parish & School / Holy Family Parish & Santuario de Chimayo, your participation is important and inspiring for us. We count on you to be faithful and creative in answering God’s call to make a Nazareth in each home and a family of families through the parishes, school, shrine and missions where we all serve. As a matter of fact, we cannot be faithful to our spirituality and mission without you.

Your commitment along with your input, feedback, ideas, challenges, goals, are of extreme importance for the new evangelization in which we take part. For that, we are excited about having you with us. Together we will grow in understanding our spirituality and mission, always keeping in mind the families we serve.

Welcome to the October Assembly 2011. I am available to answer any question or hear any comment you may have. God and the Holy Family of Nazareth bless you and your family.

Fr. Julio Gonzalez, S.F.
Pastoral Delegate of the Sons of the Holy Family in the USA.