Ahead of September’s World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia with Pope Francis, a local conference will address issues families face and what the Church is saying about them.
The LiveFamily! 2015 Expo Family Conference is slated for April 10-12 at St. Raphael in Crystal and will feature speakers and workshops aimed to help attendees strengthen family life in a complicated secular culture, said Jean Stolpestad, director of Marriage, Family and Life for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. Brooklyn Park-based Cana Family Institute and the Diocese of St. Cloud are sponsoring the event with the archdiocese.
“It’s not a retreat experience, it’s an opportunity to learn about and embrace the Church and family culture,” Stolpestad said. “We’re going to be looking at the tough issues,” divorce and same-sex attraction among them.
“If you can imagine it, it’s on the docket,” she added.
Friday evening, Fellowship of Catholic University Students founder and president Curtis Martin will speak about families’ role in the new evangelization.
Father Thomas Loya, a Byzantine rite priest from Illinois, will cover what’s next for families — relevant issues families are encountering such as theology of the body, and the Church’s response to people with same-sex attraction.
The event also will introduce an apostolate in the Twin Cities for people who are separated or divorced. Stolpestad said the support group began last fall as a pilot program to help people with the accompaniment and encouragement of others in similar situations.
“We’re really trying to move forward for what’s best for the family,” she said.
Bishop Andrew Cozzens will celebrate Mass Friday evening.
Stolpestad said the key takeaway from the conference will be the tools used to equip and help people think practically and with the “heart of the Church.”
For more information, visit the event’s page at archspm.org.
