Couples For Christ, a Catholic family ministry born in the Philippines, just marked a major milestone of 45 years — and Pope Leo XIV celebrated them with an Apostolic Blessing and personal message.
Pope Leo XIV sent a special communication of closeness and blessing to CFC, saying the following:
Dear Couples For Christ, I was pleased to be informed of the 45th anniversary of the foundation of Couples For Christ, as well as its more than 20 years as an association of pontifical right. I send a warm greeting to all present at the celebration, and I assure you of my spiritual closeness.
As you are guided by the theme “In the one, we are one,” it is my hope that this milestone will be an opportunity to further deepen your receptivity of the sacramental grace of Matrimony, which flows from the eternal and loving union of the Trinity. Just as the triune God is a family of divine persons, so sacramental marriage becomes a human image of that communion when a man and a woman are joined together as one flesh.
In a world driven by individualism and a desire for instant gratification, it is becoming increasingly difficult to make the lifelong commitment that is essential for Holy Matrimony. I therefore pray that the couples present will also unite themselves ever more closely to our Lord, so that the grace of the sacrament may continually perfect the natural love of the spouses and strengthen their unity, providing them the supernatural fortitude needed to live out their vows generously, to forgive one another, and to be open to the gift of new life.
In this way, by giving of oneself and receiving the other in the intimate and sacrificial love of married life, married couples will become joyful witnesses to the selfless and life-giving love of the Trinity, which leads to the true fulfillment of the human heart.
Entrusting all those associated with Couples For Christ to the intercession of the blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph, I cordially impart my apostolic blessing as a pledge of wisdom, joy and peace in the Lord.
What is Couples For Christ?
A private international association of the faithful, Couples For Christ (CFC) is “made up of families who have taken up Christ's exhortation to be leaven and light to the world, particularly in the area of strengthening family life,” says their website. “It is committed to the spread of the Good News and the Church's evangelizing work and has trained and deployed lay missionaries to many countries in the world.”
CFC began in Manila, Philippines, in 1981, when the charismatic community Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon (Filipino for “Joy of the Lord”) began this outreach to evangelize married couples. Recognized by the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for the Laity in 2000, the organization numbers around one million members today across all its ministries. It is now present in all 81 Philippine provinces and dioceses and 163 countries.
This June, CFC celebrated its 45th anniversary with a large and joyful gathering. A Mass at New Clark City Stadium drew more than 37,000 — one of the largest gatherings in CFC’s history. Most Rev. Dario Gervasi, Adjunct Secretary of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, read aloud the Pope’s message at the homily during the anniversary Mass.
The theme for the year, “In the One, We Are One,” animated each anniversary event as a gathering of joy, faith, and families in Christ.
The Pope’s message for the 45th anniversary is a beautiful reminder to all families to remain rooted in Christ, persevering in prayer and in repeated forgiveness, so that couples around the world may make their family homes true images of the Trinity’s divine love.
