In the course of the 1st General Congregation of Monday, October 5, and in the course of the 3rd General Congregation of Tuesday, October 6, two auditor couples, the Galindos of Mexico and the Nkosis of South Africa, respectively, gave their testimonies.
Here is a ZENIT translation of the testimony given by the Galindos.
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Intervention of the Galindo Family of Mexico (1st General Congregation, October 5). Mrs. Gertrudiz Clara Rubio de Galindo and Mr. Andres Salvador Galindo Lopez, Executive Secretaries of the Episcopal Commission for the Family of the Episcopal Conference; Secretaries of CELAM for the Mexico-Central America Region.
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We are a married couple composed of Andres and Clara Galindo of Mexico.
We began the Galindo Rubio family 45 years ago. God enabled us to have two children, now married, and four grandchildren. As many married couples, we began our life with great expectations, but also with positive and negative moments, both emotional as well as economic. The first years weren’t easy, especially because of pressures of some relatives who did not wish for much success in the new life we were beginning, to the point that, given the economic problems we had, they tried to separate us. One day a relative arrived at our home with the documents already filled out so that we would sign our divorce.
Despite the insistence that we take that step, Andres and I decided to struggle against the disturbance caused by that event and succeed in our marriage and in the family we were beginning to form, although we made this decision without having a clear idea of what the Sacrament of Marriage meant.
Shortly after, thank God, we had the opportunity to live an experience of relationship in Catholic Marriage Encounter, where we learned to communicate with one another, to forgive, but especially to discover God’s plan for us as a married couple and as a family. Therefore we continued to work on our relationship, but now more aware of God’s plan.
Sometime later, when we were again going through a very difficult stage in our life, as Andres was without work and our economic situation was reduced, a dear friend asked us to accompany him to the Basilica of Guadalupe, where we took advantage to ask our dear Mother and our Lord God to help us resolve our problems, and we promised to do what they asked us.
On leaving the Basilica we were invited to collaborate in Family Pastoral Care and at first we thought to say no, that we had to resolve our economic problems first. However, thank God and Our Lady, we gave it a second thought and agreed to serve our Church in Family Pastoral Care.
During our service in our Church, both in Mexico as well as in Central America, we were able to corroborate in several Courses, Assemblies, Congresses, etc. that the great problems that families go through are caused by Social, Cultural, Political, Educational, Economic and Religious factors, and married couples and families see themselves weakened and fragile, and their strength needs to be bolstered through formation and teaching of their identity and mission. Family Pastoral Ministry is today, the Pastoral Ministry of the Third Millennium, because of the little and great attacks of some institutions, both governmental as well as civil, against marriage, the family and life.
It requires Pastors enamoured of God’s plan, to have a Family Pastoral Ministry born of the heart of the Pastor, so that families are guided, supported and formed according to God’s plan, in order to live their identity and mission.
[Original text: Spanish] [Translation by ZENIT]
