Family Matters Focus of Synod Talks at Georgian Court University

Father Anthony Ciorra of Sacred Heart University Hosts Dialogue at GCU

Lakewood, N.J., October 20, 2014—As the Synod of Bishops in Rome examines some of the most difficult issues surrounding contemporary family life, area Catholics will gather at Georgian Court University to share their own views Saturday, October 25 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The event will take place in the Dorothy Marron University Community Chapel on GCU’s historic Lakewood campus.

The GCU discussion, The Synod on Pastoral Needs Facing the Family Today, comes on the heels of the Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican. Leading the local dialogue will be Father Anthony Ciorra, assistant vice president for mission and Catholic identity and professor of theology at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Fr. Anthony, ordained in 1973, has written several books, including Everyday Mysticism, which examines spirituality in the marketplace, and (co-authored) Moral Formation in the Parish, which explores living Christian and moral values in the world. He edited Vatican II: A Universal Call to Holiness, and his most recent book is Beauty: A Way to God (Paulist Press, 2013).

The GCU event is sponsored by the Alumni and Parents Subcommittee of Georgian Court’s Year of Hope Committee, which is concluding its program series with discussion of the synod. The committee began hosting events during the internationally recognized Year of Faith in 2012, and continued through 2014 with other activities focused on reflection and spirituality.

“Having started our series with a look back at Vatican II, it is fitting that we look at the future. This synod—the majority of participants being bishops and cardinals—will look to how these needs may be met pastorally within the context of Church teaching,” explained GCU Alumni Association President Mary Nebus, Ph.D.

The discussion at GCU serves as an engaging and meaningful way for local Catholics to have their say at a time when Pope Francis is looking for substantive input and suggestions from bishops, priests, consecrated men and women, and laypersons.

“The family is the vocation of the majority of Catholics, and it is a challenging vocation today,” said Dr. Nebus. “Families are beset by difficulties on many fronts, and traditional Church teachings are not known, deemed irrelevant, and dismissed by many.”

Pope Francis has sent a strong message of his vision for the Church, and his Synod on the family has already sparked vibrant discussions in both religious and secular circles. Catholics throughout the world are sending their suggestions to him to be collated and shared with the synod delegates.

Registration for the Synod on Pastoral Needs Facing the Family Today is $15 per person, which includes lunch. Reservations are required and can be made by by e-mailing specialevents@georgian.edu or by calling 732.987.2263.

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Photo Credit: Statue Hands by Mark, Creative Commons