At the service of the Church in Slovakia

On 6 June, the bishops from the Slovak Conference of Bishops conducted their five-year Ad Limina Visit to the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.

The vitality of lay aggregations in Slovakia

Among the topics discussed, Slovak bishops stressed the importance of lay aggregations and international ecclesial movements. Lay associations linked to certain religious congregations are also highly developed: they are mainly third orders or Benedictine, Franciscan, Dominican, Carmelite, Salesian, and Augustinian lay cooperators, just to name a few.

The vitality of lay aggregations is therefore very positive. Movements and communities are actively engaged in the evangelization and catechesis in parishes and places of everyday life, even though the challenge of full cooperation with priests in the parishes remains.

In general, there is still much to do to trigger a change of mindset in favour of a real co-responsibility of the laity.

The formation of the laity starts with the formation of youth

Due to the growing secularization, families are less and less the place for the transmission of faith. Such role is increasingly delegated to schools, which are responsible for transferring the teachings of the Church about sexual morality, marriage and the respect for life. Almost all dioceses have invested resources and staff in the creation of a school that promotes the leadership of youth. The Diocesan School for Animators (DAŠ) was designed for youth who aspire to a more fulfilling life with God and want to transmit it to their peers. It is intended for youngsters over the age of 17 and basic formation lasts two years.

Areas of commitment for pastoral care of the family

For several years, the Commission for the Family has been working very effectively on three main areas of commitment: the first is the preparation for family life especially as part of the preparation to the sacrament of marriage; the second is the direct pastoral care of the family; and the third is the recently developed area, i.e., the preparation or the specific work with the clergy and seminarists to develop greater capacity to understand the needs and issues of Slovak families today: poverty, migration and marriage crisis.