Annual Report. PATRIARCHAL CURIA UGCC 2019

46 Family Ministry "The Church is, in a real way, a family among families, and senses the need to support families in their efforts to respond faithfully and joyfully to their God-given vocation in society" — stated Pope Francis during the World Meeting of Families in Dublin which took place on August 21-26, 2018 attended by thousands of families from all over the world, including a small delegation from the UGCC. To follow up on the World Meeting of Families, the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church dedicated its main theme of the Synod of Bishops of Kyiv-Halych Metropolitan Synod (May 23-24, 2019, Lviv) to family ministry. The following decisions were voted by the Synod that defined the strategy of the UGCC Commission on Family : supporting the formational activities of the Church family movements; adopting special family ministry parish programs; establishing eparchial family counseling resource centers in order to assist parish family ministry; emphasis on the ministry to families in crisis, especially to those affected by the PTSD aftermath; work on the implementation of the Program to non-sacramental marriages; preparing a unified UGCC program for marriage preparation courses. Youth and fami ly mini st r y block All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and religious organizations dedicated the year 2019 to families and preserving family values . There are many challenges that con- temporary families should deal with in order to remain together. It is not easy to practice ones faith in families, to preserve traditional family values in the environ- ment propagating free relationships and same-sex marriages, to avoid a temptation of divorce (in Ukraine 60% of marriages end up in divorce), to preserve family when one of its members is a migrant or a seasonal worker trying to bring bread to family table. The Church must mobilize its full potential through the power of Christ to help families to re- main a loving place and a domestic Church. The Commis- sion on Family of the UGCC Patriarchal Curia has been working diligently to implement the decisions of the Synod of Bishops offering its programs and initiatives to family ministers in UGCC eparchies and exarchates.