Penampang family life committee organises inaugural family life conference

PENAMPANG – The Family Life Committee of the St Michael Parish here organised a two-day conference on family life on 23-24 Sept 2017.

The inaugural conference was held at Jud’s Hall at St Aloysius Limbanak on the first day and continued at St Michael Parish Hall on the second day.

The conference drew 162 participants – mainly married couples.

The main speaker was Romo (Father) Bernadinus Agung of Indonesia.

In his talk, Romo Agung said that the Gospels “help us to understand that every Christian family can become a privileged place to experience love and the joy of forgiveness…where there is love, there is also understanding and forgiveness.”

Among the topics were 1) Originality of Man and Woman; 2) Meaning of Faith in Life; 3) Faith: Source of Life in Marriage; 4) Faith Parenting for Children; and 5) Family as the Domestic Church.

The talks were followed by workshops.

Retired nurse Vinicah Unsoh, 56, from Ranau, shared her experience that comes from understanding the importance of a strong husband and wife relationship born out of a communion of faith.

“As the couples were invited to embrace and renew their vows, I could not hold back my tears,” she said.

Dennis Dahangat, 60, a retired teacher with two grown-up children, from Kg Terian, Penampang believed that the seminar has fulfilled its objectives through the many inputs on strengthening the family institution with the emphasis on faith.

“I am so taken up by the role of the family as the domestic church in evangelising our own family, … the source for building up a strong Catholic Christ-centred community bearing the fruits of unity, humility, love, and forgiveness,” said Dahangat.

The conference concluded on a positive note that encouraged the committee to plan for a similar seminar on an annual basis. – Soccom Penampang

Article reproduced from Catholic Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu