Page 12 - thesis_biby_tharayil

2
2
The title of this thesis is “‘The Domestic Church as a Sanctuary of
Life’: The Mission of the Christian Family in the Teachings of Pope John
Paul II, with Special Reference to the Religious and Moral Traditions of the
Families in the Archdiocese of Kottayam.” This study intends to provide an
exposition of the teachings of Pope John Paul II on the Christian family as a
Domestic Church and its mission of being a Sanctuary of Life. In light of
this, the study will examine the implications of these teachings in the
already-existing traditions and ceremonies of the families in the archdiocese
3
of Kottayam. This study intends to determine whether in these traditional
ceremonies there exists a concurrence or conformity to the teaching of Pope
John Paul II on the Christian Family as a Sanctuary of Life.

The subject “Christian family” was so dear to Pope John Paul II.
This is rightly evident in the words of Pope Francis: “In his own service to
the People of God, Saint John Paul II was ‘the pope of the family’. He
himself once said that he wanted to be remembered as the pope of the
4
family”. One of the central teachings of Pope John Paul II regarding family
is that it is the basic form of the Church. Though this concept has developed
gradually in Church writings, it received special emphasis in the teachings
of Pope John Paul II. As the Church finds herself in the third millennium, it
is important to assist its members in deepening their understanding and
appreciation of the ecclesial character of the Christian family and its specific
role of being a Sanctuary of Life in the modern world.

Motivation

A person is basically formed and shaped in a family. It is within the
family that values, ideas and cultures take birth. Any work towards building
a better world starts with the family. The author chose this particular topic
because of his membership and ten-year pastoral ministry in the Kottayam
Archdiocesan community. This community has many family customs that
imply the teachings of the Church on the family as Domestic Church and as
Sanctuary of Life.

2 The author of this study italicized texts to highlight the expressions Domestic
Church and Sanctuary of Life.
3 In this work, the expressions “Southist family/community” or “Knānāya
family/community” mean the families or members of the Archdiocese of Kottayam.
4 FRANCIS, Homily of Pope Francis, “Holy Mass and Rite of Canonization of Blesseds
John XXIII and John Paul II”, St. Peter's Square Vatican, 27 April, 2014. Accessed 1 May,
2014. <http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2014/documents/papa-
francesco_20140427_omelia-canonizzazioni.html>

www.knanayology.org