On 19 March 2021, Solemnity of St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church, which is also the fifth anniversary of the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia (On Love in the Family), Pope Francis will inaugurate for the whole Church the Year “Amoris Laetitia Family,” which will conclude on 26 June 2022 on the occasion of the X World Meeting of Families to be held in Rome.
The Apostolic Exhortation “Amoris Laetitia” is intended to spread the message of Amoris Laetitia, which examines families in the face of contemporary challenges. On the basis of the Exhortation, the objectives of the special Year are as follows:
(1）to share the content of the Exhortation more widely, in order to help people experience family life as a joy and the family as a gift for the Church and society;
(2）to announce the value of the sacrament of marriage;（3）to help families become active agents of the apostolate, and to enable young people to be aware of the importance of formation on the truth of love and in the gift of self;
(3）to broaden the vision and action of pastoral care for the family, so that it can become more transversal and embrace all family members, i.e., those preparing for marriage, married couples, children, young people, the elderly, and those in difficult family situations;（4）to enhance the intimate mutual link between “family-domestic Church” and the Church;
(4）To promote greater involvement of married couples in diocesan and parish structures in support of family pastoral care and a deepening of the related formation of pastoral workers, seminarians and priests;
(5) To promote evangelizing and missionary initiatives in families (e.g., on the occasion of children’s reception of First Holy Communion or Confirmation, during marriage preparation, anniversaries or important liturgical moments).
To mark the inauguration of this year-long celebration, Cardinal John TONG will preside at a special Mass at the Cathedral on 19 March 2021, at 6:00pm, broadcast online at the diocesan website: www.catholic.org.hk.
As previously announced by Holy See, the faithful who recite any legitimately approved prayer or perform an act of piety in honour of St. Joseph on coming March 19 can acquire a plenary indulgence on the usual conditions of attachment from any sin, sacramental confession, Holy Communion ( received in any church or chapel after attending any online Mass on March 19 or on another date) and prayer for the Pope’s intentions.
