Towards the World Meeting of Families: Love as in Nazareth

In an old farmhouse that has been completely renovated, in the countryside north of Rome, an original experience of community living between different families has come to life. Each family has its own space on the first floor, while on the ground floor there is a kitchen and a large living room where everyone can eat together. For some time now, the four families have been joined by an African refugee who arrived in Italy after crossing the Mediterranean in a rubber dinghy. 

Their story is told in the short film “Sharing Life,” by director Antonio Antonelli, which accompanies the third catechesis prepared by the diocese of Rome in view of the World Meeting of Families in June 2022. A meeting that – it’s worth recalling – will have a “multicentric and widespread” character, as established by Pope Francis, and therefore every diocese and local community is invited to promote moments of reflection and prayer on the theme of the family. To help them, here are the materials prepared by the diocese of Rome and the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, which are organising the June appointment in Rome.

“Nazareth: Making love normal” is the title of the catechesis associated with this third short film. “By observing the family of Jesus, Joseph and Mary,” we read, "every family can rediscover its own calling, can begin to understand itself a little more, orient itself on the path of life, and feel attracted by the joy of the Gospel.”