The Year of the Family, March 2021 to June 2022
On December 27th, Pope Francis declared a “year of the family”:
He said: “I have decided to declare a special year dedicated to the Family #Amorislaetitia, which will be inaugurated on the next Solemnity of Saint Joseph. Let us entrust this journey with families all over the world to the Holy Family of Nazareth.”
The year of the family will begin on 19 March, the fifth anniversary of his apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia, or the joy of love, which followed the two synods on the family held in 2014 and 2015. It will run through to June.
He said: “There will be a year of reflection on Amoris laetitia and it will be an opportunity to deepen the contents of the document.”
He also announced it in his Angelus address on Sunday, two days after Christmas, when he focused on the Holy Family.
“It is nice to reflect on the fact that the Son of God wanted, like all children, the warmth of a family,” he said, making the case for the Holy Family being the “model family”, in which all the families of the world can find their point of reference and inspiration.
“In imitation of the Holy Family, we are called to rediscover the educational value of the family unit: it requires to be founded on love that always regenerates relationships by opening horizons of hope.
