Major conference with 30 experts at the University of Notre Dame July 19-21 will discuss the issues facing families today and how they can cope 

Families are under more pressure than ever today. School, work, social media, drugs, materialism and other issues all challenge each member of the family and make it more difficult to find a spiritual connection. The constraints on time alone make it tough for families to even have dinner together! Catholic families are no different; however, they are called to live differently. These concerns and more will be addressed by leading experts at the Family Symposium July 19-21 at the University of Notre Dame. This major event is sponsored by Our Sunday Visitor, Holy Cross Family Ministries, Pastoral Solutions Institute and the University of Notre Dame. More than 30 authorities in the fields of theology, social science and pastoral ministry to families will come together to discuss and answer these questions about Catholic family life July 19-21 at the University of Notre Dame. They will explore how families can encounter Christ in everyday relationships and how to express that experience with each other and in their community. “As we work to help families live a truly Catholic life, particularly as family, the domestic church, we need to identify what it is that makes a Catholic family different and provide resources to simply and practically live a Catholic family life,” said Dr. Greg Popcak, Director – Pastoral Solutions Institute. “This symposium will address many of these issues and provide tools to help families enhance and improve their spiritual well-being.” Some of the experts scheduled to speak at the Family Symposium include several well-known Catholic family authorities Dr. Greg & Lisa Popcak, Andrew and Terri Lyke, Tim and Sue Muldoon, Julie Rubio, Justin Bartkus, Pat Fagan, Darcia Narvaez, Mark Gray, Joe Atkinson, Julia Dezelski, and many others. Organizers of The Catholic Family Life Symposium will focus on ways families can experience faith in the home with each other and spread that faith into their communities.  The conferences focus will center on:

• Helping parents and children to understand how to live as a Catholic family.

• Provide best practices that are flexible for all families to live a life of faith.

• Identify day-to-day life practices so family members can better relate to each other and experience God together.

• Provide materials that outline spiritual practices that fit with the messiness of family life.

• Show how the family can change the world working together as family to make a difference.

This  video from the Catholic Family Symposium is a presentation by Andrew & Terri Lyke