In the One We Are One

His Excellency Monsignor Dario Gervasi, Adjunct Secretary, and Father Giovanni Buontempo, official of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, traveled to the Philippines in June for the celebrations marking the 45th anniversary of “Couples for Christ,” one of the international ecclesial movements recognized by the Holy See, founded in the Asian country and now present in over 100 nations.

From June 16 to 20, Monsignor Gervasi and Father Buontempo participated in the Congress held at The Space at One Ayala in Makati City, titled “One Family.” The gathering was inspired by the pastoral theme of the Couples for Christ movement, on the 45th anniversary of its founding: “In the One, we are one!” The various presentations on the program focused on exploring how the grace of Baptism calls Christians to become witnesses of the faith in a context of divisions, inequalities, and other social challenges, while at the same time strengthening communion within the Church.

Participants from various parts of the world were able to reflect on the Church’s preferential love for the poor, drawing inspiration from Pope Francis’s encyclical Dilexit Nos and Pope Leo XIV’s apostolic exhortation Dilexit Te.

In collaboration with the CFC’s Work with the Poor (ANCOP) and Missio Amare, the Congress also explored concrete ways in which Catholic communities can respond to the needs of the most marginalized and vulnerable families.

The Meaning of Being One in Christ for a Married Couple

Gervasi and Buontempo contributed reflections, offering insights into the Vatican’s commitment to the lay faithful, ecclesial movements, and Catholic communities around the world.

In his opening remarks, Monsignor Gervasi focused on the meaning of being one in Christ for a married couple: “It means that if we are united to Him, we are also united to His virtues. And one of His virtues is to love the poor, to have made Himself poor, to identify with the poor.” “Families united in the love of the Heart of Christ,” said Gervasi, “can become families with big hearts, capable of welcoming the poor. It is not just a matter of bringing God to them, but of encountering Him together with them (cf. DT 81). Today’s temptation is to push the poor to the margins of our community. Some think it is not worth investing in the poor. We, on the other hand, are convinced that, for Christians, the poor are not a sociological phenomenon, but the very flesh of Christ, and that we must go out to encounter him in his flesh.”

Unity, the Assistant Secretary emphasized, is also manifested in the support families give one another and in the journey they make together with their pastors: “I think that if every family understands how much loving strength it has toward other families, it can accomplish so much. And families can do even more when they are together with priests and religious. It is the Church that is manifested in this unity of service.”

Father Giovanni Buontempo, for his part, offered an overview of the situation of international movements and associations of the faithful and on the topic of good governance.

Mass and Pastoral Visits: At the Service of the Local Churches

As part of the anniversary celebrations, Gervasi also presided over the closing Mass on Sunday, June 21, at the New Clark Stadium in Capas, Tarlac, where thousands of members of Couples for Christ and the faithful gathered at the conclusion of the celebratory event. Present at the Mass were the Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, His Excellency Bishop Charles John Brown, and the Bishop of Tarlac, His Excellency Bishop Roberto Calara Mallari.

In his homily, Bishop Gervasi invited those present to remember that “in every person who lives their life for Christ, there is a light that must illuminate others. In every word heard deep in the heart, there is a hope to be shared. A Christian united with Jesus,” said Gervasi, “is a light that cannot be extinguished.”

Finally, the pastoral visit to the Philippines included many opportunities to meet with parishioners and many families.