Four Parishioners and One Pope!
Four parishioners from Our Lady of the Lake participated in the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia, which took place during the last week of September. Amy McClelland and Bill Stauffer joined Shawn and Donna Witmer for the week-long Congress, whose theme was, “Love is Our Mission: The Family Fully Alive.” The Congress offered international keynote speakers, and included Bishops, Priests, Women Religious and Laity. Each keynote was followed by 15 break-out sessions, on a wide variety of topics related to fostering faith in families.
The Congress included 20,000 people representing over 80 countries and every continent of the world. The Congress concluded with the long-awaited and much-celebrated visit of Pope Francis during the weekend of September 26-27, during which he spoke at several public events and celebrated the closing Mass on Sunday, September 27.
Held every three years and sponsored by the Pope’s Council for the Family, the World Meeting of Families is the world’s largest Catholic gathering of families.
Sarah Gyorki
Shawn Witmer, Pastoral Associate