Church has ‘mission’ to protect struggling families – Bishop

Bishop Kevin Doran has insisted that it is part of the Church’s mission to support families living in difficult circumstances.

“I’m not sure that there is any such thing as an ideal family,” the Bishop of Elphin told those gathered in Knock at the weekend.

“Every family has its limitations and many families today face particular challenges due to poverty and unemployment, ill-health or disability, the absence of a mother or father for one reason or another.

“Sometimes we might ask ourselves what there is to be thankful for. But, if we look a little closer, we see the courage and generosity of people who, even under very difficult circumstances, continue to live faithfully and to care for one another.

“It is part of our mission as Church to support them in whatever way we can,” he said.

Describing families as “schools of prayer”, Bishop Doran urged parents in the congregation to rediscover the tradition of praying grace before and after meals.

Speaking on the theme, ‘Always and Everywhere Giving Thanks – The Gift of the Family’, the west of Ireland bishop said that it is in the family that children “first learn to bless themselves”.

Bishop Doran said it was part of God’s plan that children are born into a family in which the love of a mother and father will give them confidence that they too are loved.

Recognising that in the face of economic difficulties, “it can be very difficult for parents to provide for the material needs of their children”, the bishop warned that it “should not be beyond our capacity as a developed nation to resolve these challenges and that everyone has a part to play”.

“Just as society depends on the family for its coherence, likewise society has a responsibility towards the well-being of families,” Dr Doran said.