The Modalities of the Family Pastoral Ministry

Slijedeći pastoralnu pobudnicu pape Ivana Pavla II. Familiaris consortio (1980.) i Direktorij za obiteljski pastoral Crkve u Hrvatskoj (2002.) Hrvatske biskupske konferencije opravdano je ukazati na različite modalitete obiteljskog pastorala i jednako tako različite profile pastoralnih djelatnika u tom pastoralu. Djelokrug tog pastorala primarno je određen različitim etapama života koje prolazi bračni par i obitelj što uvjetuje pastoral zaručnika i pripravu za brak, promociju i vođenje obiteljskih skupina, pripravu roditelja za prihvaćanje novog života, krštenje i praćenje sve vrijeme kršćanske inicijacije djece, odnosno prisutnost uz obitelji koje ne mogu imati vlastitu biološku djecu pa traže tehnološku pomoć liječnika ili su voljni posvojiti djecu; ove posljednje zadatke najbolje je obaviti uz podršku obiteljskih savjetovališta u kojima trebaju djelovati educirani pastoralni radnici, štoviše, specijalizirani u obiteljskom pastoralu. Pastoral obitelji toliko je zahtjevan da traži osobitu edukaciju svih onih koji mu se posvećuju. Ona treba biti teološko-duhovna i psihološko-društvena, tj. sposobna pružiti znanje o međuljudskoj komunikaciji, upoznati seksualnost prema kršćanskoj antropologiji, psihologiju braka i roditeljstva, tendenciju aktualne kulture seksualnosti i ljubavi te sposobnost kritičkog čitanja pedagoške upotrebe poruka medija. Edukacija, naravno, treba biti vezana uz crkvenu praksu, teoretska i praktična, permanentna i sazdana na načelima punog poštovanja kulturne raznolikosti u kojoj danas žive obitelji kao i na temelju poznavanja čimbenika koji je uvjetuju.Following the pastoral exhortation of the Pope John Paul II, Familiaris Consortio (1980), and the Directory for the Family Pastoral Ministry of the Church in Croatia (2002), it is reasonable to point out different modalities of the family pastoral ministry, and different profiles of pastoral workers. The domain of such a ministry is defined by different stages of life, which results with the pastoral ministry of the fiancees and the preparation for the marriage, promotion and guiding of different family groups, preparation of parents for the acceptance of a new life, baptism and support during the entire period of the Christian initiation of the children, as well as presence by the families which can not have their biological children and therefore are looking for a technological medical help, or are willing to adopt children. For the latter a family counselor is needed, with an educated pastoral worker, specialized in the family pastoral ministry. The pastoral ministry of the family is so demanding that a special education is needed. This education should be theological and spiritual, capable of giving knowledge about the interpersonal communication, knowledge of sexuality according to the Christiananthropology, psychology of marriage and parenting, acquaintance with tendencies of the actual culture of sexuality and love, as well as the capability of critical reading of the pedagogical usage of the mass media message. Education should be linked to the church practice, theoretical and practical, permanent and constituted by the principles of respect towards the cultural divergences which mark the life of the family today, as well as by knowing the factors which determine such a life