World Meeting of Families brings blessings to Utahns who attended to learn and to grow

Friday, Oct. 09, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY — Among the hundreds of thousands of faithful gathered in Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families Sept. 22-27 were people from the Diocese of Salt Lake City.

The World Meeting of Families is held every three years and is sponsored by the Holy See’s Pontifical Council for the Family to strengthen the sacred bonds of families; it is the world’s largest Catholic gathering of families. This year’s theme was “Love is our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.” 

Veola Burchett, director of the Diocese of Salt Lake City Office of the Family, attended the World Meeting of Families to learn new information to incorporate into her  ministry, particularly with the upcoming Year of Mercy declared by Pope Francis to run Dec. 8, 2015 to Nov. 20, 2016.

One workshop that stood out for Burchett was given by Dr. Janet Smith on caregiving for family members with Alzheimer’s disease, she said. Smith is caring for her own mother with Alzheimer’s; she shared the struggles and joys, and suggested ways in which one can be merciful toward the patient, and merciful toward oneself.

Smith gave practical solutions to stressful situations, said Burchett. “It is best if we have at least one day a week to take care of ourselves by going for a walk, to a movie, napping or reading. The same is true for young mothers of young children – they also need time away to take care of themselves.” 

Overall, the World Meeting of Families was “amazing and awesome,” said Burchett, adding that she was in awe of the universal Church represented there. “The daily Masses and processions, meeting people from all over the world, some in their native dress, were all amazing. It was a wonderful time of learning from incredible speakers.”

Pope Francis, who spoke at the event, “speaks the truth gently with strength,” said Burchett. “He is what our Church needs at this time.”

Katy Bonds and her husband, Jim, from St. Henry Parish in Brigham City also attended the World Meeting of Families. They were impressed with a break-out session by radio host and author Christopher Stefanik, the youth, young adult and campus ministry director for the Archdiocese of Denver, said Bonds, who is the religious education director for her parish, which uses Stefanik’s curriculum for the confirmation classes.

Although Bonds was disappointed she didn’t see Pope Francis in person because of the crowds, she saw him on the large screen televisions that were set up for his appearance. 

“The emotion was still there; the crowd was electrifying and Pope Francis was just so gracious and holy,” she said. “The experience was a blessing. We used the word ‘popeful’ because he is so hopeful, and he made us all feel so warm; the Holy Spirit was truly there.” 

Pope Francis’ speech at the Festival of Families at Benjamin Franklin Parkway Sept. 26 made it clear to Bonds how “transcendent the family is; the family is universal in all different cultures. We all have common bonds and experiences despite where we live or where we are from,” Bonds said, who is a clinical social worker and director of a family support center in Brigham City. “The best programming for children is a family with the natural parents, and that is true in any culture.”      

Carlos Hernandez, a Judge Memorial Catholic High School senior and peer minister, went with his family to the World Meeting of Families.

“My mom wanted to attend; she is very religious and thought it would be good for our family,” said Hernandez. “When she heard that the pope was also going to be there, that kind of made it official.”

In addition, the Hernandez family had tickets for space on the White House lawn to hear the pope’s address to the joint meeting of Congress. “We were in the back and it was hard to get a good look at him, but I could feel the excitement of the crowd cheering; we knew we were part of something big,” said Hernandez, who also saw Pope Francis in Philadelphia.  The family had a spot on a downtown sidewalk, where they waited from noon until 7 p.m. “When we heard that the popemobile was finally coming down the road, we were happy we were going to see him really close,” said Hernandez. “We cheered and yelled to get him to look at us.” 

The next day, they had tickets to the outdoor Mass but were disappointed when, after waiting five hours, they were turned away because the stadium was full.

During the World Meeting of Families, Hernandez enjoyed several talks, especially one by a priest who said “we could better ourselves by ridding ourselves of envy and pride,” he said.

The message Hernandez heard from Pope Francis was to “come together to make a better family and create a better world,” Hernandez said. “We needed Pope Francis to come to the U.S. to impact and change people; he leads by example.”