What is the World Meeting of Families?
The next World Meeting of Families will be in 2028 and the location has yet to be announced. Begun by St. Pope John Paul II, and held approximately every three years, the international World Meeting of Families (WMOF) celebrates the family as the cornerstone of our lives and the fundamental building block of society & the Church.
What is the Purpose of the World Meeting of Families?
Pope St. John Paul II founded the WMOF to give families from around the world the opportunity to meet and celebrate together. It also seeks to strengthen the sacred bond of family life, which unite all of us.
When was the first World Meeting of Families?
Started by Pope John Paul II, the first WMOF occurred in Rome, Italy, in 1994. It has occurred every 3 years since, in various host dioceses, and is the largest gathering of Catholic families in the world.
Who can go to the World Meeting of Families?
The WMOF is open to all – married, single, religious, with children or without – everyone is invited! There are keynote speakers, workshops, and other programs for adults and youth, as well as activities for children and the whole family.
Stay Updated
Please sign up below to be put on our mailing list to receive more information once it becomes available.
“The couple that loves and begets life is a true, living icon – not an idol like those of stone or gold prohibited by the Decalogue – capable of revealing God the Creator and Savior. For this reason, fruitful love becomes a symbol of God’s inner life.”
- Amoris Laetitia
Your Information is 100% Secure
and Will Never Be Shared With Anyone.
and Will Never Be Shared With Anyone.
“The couple that loves and begets life is a true, living icon – not an idol like those of stone or gold prohibited by the Decalogue – capable of revealing God the Creator and Savior. For this reason, fruitful love becomes a symbol of God’s inner life.”
- Amoris Laetitia
World Meeting of Families Tentative Itinerary
According to the USCCB, each meeting begins with a Congress that invites married couples, families, pastors, theologians, and professionals with expertise on a variety of issues that affect family life together for workshops, talks, and discussions surrounding the theme. After the Congress, there is an all-day Festival of Families that invites all participants into a prayerful and joyful celebration of family life, usually held in a large stadium or arena with the participation of the Holy Father. Finally, the event concludes with Sunday Mass, customarily celebrated by the Holy Father, to bring the participants together as a family of families, the universal Church, in the name of Christ Jesus.
Schedule details will be released by the organizers closer to the departure date, so check back as the date draws nearer or contact us today to plan your own group pilgrimage!
Schedule details will be released by the organizers closer to the departure date, so check back as the date draws nearer or contact us today to plan your own group pilgrimage!
Additional Pilgrimage Locations
Tekton will be providing pilgrimage opportunities before and after the WMOF to explore Italy, its Saints, sacred sites, and deep Catholic history of the region. The following are sample locations that could be added to the beginning or end of the WMOF. We are happy to discuss these and other options with you to personalize your World Meeting of Families pilgrimage experience for your group’s needs. Please contact us for more information by clicking the button above or sending an email to [email protected].
Rome
Vatican
Orvieto
Assisi
The Official Prayer of the 10th World Meeting of Families:
Family Love: Vocation and Path to Holiness
Heavenly Father,
We come before You to praise You
and to thank You for the great gift of the family.
We pray to You for all families
consecrated by the Sacrament of Matrimony.
May they rediscover each day
the grace they have received,
and as small domestic Churches,
may they know how to witness to Your presence
and to the love with which Christ loves the Church.
We pray to You for all families faced with difficulty and suffering
caused by illness or circumstances of which only You know.
Sustain them and make them aware
of the path to holiness upon which You call them,
so that they might experience Your infinite mercy
and find new ways to grow in love.
We pray to You for children and young people:
may they encounter You and respond joyfully
to the vocation You have in mind for them;
We pray for parents and grandparents: may they be aware
that they are signs of the fatherhood and motherhood of God
in caring for the children who, in body and spirit, You entrust to them;
and for the experience of fraternity
that the family can give to the world
Lord, grant that each family
might live their specific vocation to holiness in the Church
as a call to become missionary disciples,
in the service of life and peace,
in communion with our priests, religious,
and all vocations in the Church.
Bless the World Meeting of Families.
Amen.
