MARFAM FAMILY WEEKLY E-NEWSLETTER 13 MAY 2026

For now, however I am looking into parenting and mothers and fathers together. Pope Francis in Amoris Laetitia 172 wrote, “respecting a child’s dignity means affirming his or her need and natural right to have a mother and a father.’  This is how life starts in almost in every area of creation.  Animals reproduce sexually and even plants most often need a male and female involvement.  I was intrigued to listen to a 702 radio programme interview about the mothering and fathering of sea creatures, from Orca whales  – matriarchs in a pod of whales,   octopuses where the mother dies after giving birth,  penguins – where the dad incubates the baby lying on his feet for up to 6 weeks, and even clown fishes – where the male has the ability to change into a female if the female has died.   

13 May always makes one think of Fatima and Our Lady and the 3 little children who, let’s face it,  were not given a very easy time by their parents or the Church at first.  Do God and Our Lady override parents, as after all, parents are tasked by God to form their children?  Today I pose a list of topics and questions to consider on the theme.   “Parents form families” is MARFAM’s Family theme for the month of May.  Last week my big focus was on mothers and motherhood, which seems to have been happily and merrily commemorated on Mothers’ Day, judging by many good wishes and prayers circulated on social media.   Will Dads get the same attention on 21 June which is Fathers’ Day?   There is a Fathers Matter programme also circulating in the network and that message will surely feature for us.  It does indicate that there is a different social attitude towards each of the parents. 

Last week the world wished world-renowned naturalist David Attenborough a happy 100th birthday. I and everyone I know definitely join the world in doing so.  Reaching that ripe old age in itself is a feat that must say something significant about the benefits of healthy outdoor living.  He is one of the most travelled people and spent years outdoors in the widest range of climactic and geological conditions.   Through his amazing work and programmes every aspect of nature, but especially of living creatures has come to life for present and budding enthusiasts. Not long ago Jane Goodall – the famous chimpanzee lady – died and was also remembered with great awe.

One of Attenborough’s books I have bought I find particularly fascinating. The Trials of Life of members of God’s creation, by reproducing in order to sustain the species, is the content. With very few exceptions they do so in the same way, male and female intercourse.   What is particularly intriguing is that in many cases the roles of the father and mother parents are not the same as was noted in connection with sea creatures.   The book deals with stages of life, ARRIVING, PARENTING, GROWING UP, COURTING and so the cycle continues.  Moms dominate quite often, sometimes even discarding the dads when their job is done.  In other cases the mothers die after the offspring has arrived and fathers are left to carry on the race. Many of these variants in behavior result from creatures adapting to their environment over long periods of time and during the earth’s previous 5 mass extinctions.  Mutations that become adaptations are permanent changes and have been the raw materials of evolution over 3 billion of the earth’s 13 billion years,  while human life dates only from some hundreds of thousands of years.  David A expressed very serious concern over the fact that scientists believe we are in the 6th extinction time brought about by our human impact on our earth.   

Parenting is generally heterosexual but homosexuality is understood as a natural variant in generic makeup and is not a permanent change.  Does it exist in animal species?   Research indicates it is not uncommon in animals, birds and sea creatures and tends to result from social stresses in their life situations.  

According to Attenborough the bottom line in nature – or as Pope Francis in Laudato Si’ called it creation – is survival of the species, therefore offspring must be protected and given the best possible chance of survival.   At the same time as one speaker on the radio programne commented, the earth’s food chain has to be maintained,  and so creatures- including ourselves – have no choice but to live off others.  Laudato Si Week coming up from 17-24 May invites us to reflect on FROM HOPE TO ACTION.  

Parenting, by whoever plays that role,  is for producing, socialization and protection of children, teaching them the ways and values of their particular form or culture.  Discipline and order are always essential.  There have been times in our human history when children have not been valued as much as they tend to be today.  Are we in a child-friendly or child-focused society, give too little or too much?  Or are we in a child-abusive reality?   May is Child Protection month in SA.   Under the theme “Working together in ending violence against children,” the campaign focuses on curbing rising child abuse, neglect, and statutory rape.  Who are the main perpetrators but family members?

The SA Children’s Act regards the best interests of the child as often the main factor in decision-making, but that in my view must be so in particular cases.  Would parents necessarily agree or is that too simplistic?   As families could we consider the best interests of the family unit more important?  That is another complex question for parents that is also tied in to cultural beliefs and traditions. Even human sacrifice was practiced as we can read in the story of Abraham and Isaac his son.  Babies and young children have most commonly been the ones sacrificed as was practised in some traditional religions even not too long ago and can still be associated with witchcraft.        

May 15 is the UN International Day of Families commemorated since 1994.   The theme for 2026 is  “families, inequality and child wellbeing.”  The Department of Social Development is the responsible agency for promoting this day and its message.   “The UN concept paper is aimed at putting forward the process of celebrating the IDF, to acknowledge and appreciate the role of families in society. The family is the basic and natural unit of society, which plays a critical role of nurturing and caring for individual family members, from children, to youth, men, women, people with disabilities and the older generation. Celebrating the IDF also brings into focus the importance of family solidarity wherein members of the family work together to sustain the unit through challenges, trials, and tribulations.  It is important to expand family life education, including around relationship maintenance and communication, conflict resolution, parenting and issues of gender equity. The task at hand for our country is to develop programs and policies that support individuals and families who live under highly diverse conditions, and, and yet are faced with rapid changes in every aspect of their lives.  We know that strengthening family supports leads to improvements in the social and economic capital of individuals and concurrently, the well-being of individuals and communities “ 

There are many themes to focus on at this time in our parenting mission.  Laudato Si’ week and Christian Unity week run from 17-24 May.   As the UN, the SA DSD and we as a family apostolate of the Catholic church continue to do what we can to build family resilience through enhancing parenting skills we call on the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima who brings a message of Peace on Earth.  We well know that Peace on earth begins in the Family”   TR 13 MAY 2026

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY.

May 13. Our Lady of Fatima.  SEE.   Moyra wondered, “Our Lady of Fatima appeared to three little children with her message, about their current social reality and a call to pray for peace. How many parents really talk with their children about social realities and the problem issues of today.  Or maybe the kids should inform their parents, or whoever their carers are, as they learn far more about these matters at school then we ever knew.  In many ways the young are better informed, more capable technologically and make us older people feel quite inadequate at times. However we must not forget how vulnerable young people also are to abuse, e.g. pornography and misuse of their cellphones. Those are really important issues for family consideration and devotion to Our Lady of Fatima can be a great support and a source of happiness for families. 

JUDGE. Reflect, share and act. Scripture.  The descendants of my people shall be known among the nations and their offspring in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.   Is 61:9-11.  Pope Francis: Only if we devote time to our children, speaking of important things with simplicity and concern and finding healthy ways for them to spend their time will we be able to shield them from harm. AL176.  From FAMILIES AND THE SYNOD. What role can the family play in the process of building a more synodal Church? How can this synodal process help us to better understand, promote and empower the mission of the family within the Church and in the world, as “a leaven of evangelization in society?” (AL 290)

Pope Leo at the shrine of Mama Muxima in Angola. Dinis Mayomona, a seminarian described the shrine as a place of total surrender. “We surrender all our suffering, all our dreams … because we have got many problems here,” he said, “and once we surrender our suffering in the hands of Mama Muxima, we know perfectly that she will solve our problems because she is beside her Son.”  The shrine carries a complex and painful history. For nearly 300 years, the site along the Kwanza River served as a waypoint for enslaved Africans being marched to the Atlantic Coast for transport to the Americas..

ACT AND PRAY.O God, who chose the Mother of your Son to be our Mother too, gant us that persevering in penance and prayer for peace and the salvation of the world, we may further the reign of Christ. Mother of peace, pray for adolescent children