The Archdiocese of Philadelphia and the Catholic Family Fun Club (CFFC) announce more than 530 individual members from almost 100 families in the new Catholic family group in less than a month since its launch. This new initiative was formed by local Catholic families as a way to build locally networked communities with others so that all might grow in their faith together. While administered independently, it is a grass roots outgrowth of the World Meeting of Families—Philadelphia 2015 (WMOF).
CFFC was founded by Dr. Mary Beth Yount, an Assistant Professor of Theology at Neumann University, who served as Director of Content and Programming for WMOF. She wanted to develop an organic and simple way to find out about already-existing Catholic family events and share them with other Catholic families in the five-county region.
“I was looking forward to members posting events like rosary campfires, saint movie nights, and catechism quiz tournaments. These are things that I love to do with my children,” said Dr. Yount.
Using a crowd-sourced calendar, the CFFC allows families from throughout the Archdiocese to attend and create Catholic catechetical and social activities together and learn about other local events and organizations connected to the Catholic faith.
“We are all learning a lot about local events and organizations connected to our Catholic faith tradition that we would never hear about otherwise,” said Dr. Yount. “For example, a post letting people know about an adoptive family picnic taught me about some of the needs of adoptive families and a network that is meeting those needs. There was another post inviting people to join the Interfaith Hospitality Network in feeding and being present to families that are in transition between homes, an event for families struggling with infertility, multiple events that describe particular levels of accessibility for those with special needs, and more. The new group has exceeded my expectations.”
To join the group, go to www.meetup.com and type in “Catholic Family” or navigate directly to http://www.meetup.com/Catholic-Family-Fun-Club. You can also download the Meetup app on a digital device and then enter “Catholic Family” to find the new CFFC.
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Editor’s Note: Named one of “Philadelphia’s Most Interesting People” by NBC-10 and a two-time Catholic Press Association 2016 awardee, Dr. Mary Beth Yount has given hundreds of presentations and published numerous book contributions and articles on topics that range from the philosophy of dating to the importance of interfaith action. Her work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets, from TIME to Rome Reports. With her husband, James, and their four children, the Younts are members of St. Mary Magdalen Parish in Media, Pennsylvania (Delaware County).
