An international "multi-congress" of families, FamilyFest 2005, is being held simultaneously in more than 200 countries, including Malta, on April 16.
Promoted by New Families, a branch of the Focolare Movement, the event is being held at the Corinthia Jerma Palace Hotel, in Marsascala, between 9.30 a.m. and 7.30 p.m.
Themed Family: Love Builds Peace, the FamilyFest will, through facts of life from different cultures and some of the most difficult situations, try to present a vision of the family that has the strength to heal and renew broken relationships.
It will go through the seasons that make up the life of a couple, from falling in love to marriage; from the years of crisis to those of old age. Children will be protagonists of the event, which will also feature artistic expression.
The highlight of FamilyFest 2005 is an international link-up via satellite from Piazza del Campidoglio, Rome with the various FamilyFests throughout the world between 3 and 4.30 p.m.
Chiara Lubich, founder and president of the Focolare Movement, will be present in Rome, while a number of personalities from the political, cultural, sports and artistic fields will take an active part.
On the day, TVM will be transmitting the 90-minute link-up for local viewers between 8.30 and 10 p.m.
Within the context of the local event, prizes will be given to the winners of the FamilyFest competition launched in primary and secondary schools across Malta and Gozo.
At the other end of the globe, in Manila, a Housing Project is being launched during the FamilyFest there. The project was started by the families of the most deserted districts of the Filipino metropolis. One of the first targets will be that of providing 120 houses for 200 families in some of the poorest districts in the Philippines, South-East Asia and Bolivia. The main characteristic of the project is that the protagonists of this development will be the beneficiaries themselves.
New Families in Malta will be joining this Housing Project through the launch of a project called Family Empowerment Seminars. The aim is to help spread a new vision of the family, a family based on the values of gratuity and reciprocal love, and give life to a renewal process for our society.
New Families yesterday also released Ms Lubich's testimony on Pope John Paul II, whom she described as a "great saint".
"How I wish we could return to the times when one's holiness of life was proclaimed by the fervour of the people. The youth would be in the frontlines," Ms Lubich said.
"I too can personally bear witness to his saintliness. Often, after an audience with him, I was left with a sense that heaven had opened up. I found myself directly linked to God, in a very profound union with Him, without intermediaries.
"I think I have understood more deeply the specific charisma of the Pope. He holds the 'keys to the kingdom of heaven' (Mt 16:19) not only for wiping out our sins but also for opening up heaven to us, by leading us to union with God.
"At this time I have to express my deepest gratitude for many other doors that those 'keys' opened. The Pope always opened wide the doors to the innovations brought about by the Holy Spirit, which he recognised also in our Focolare Movement."