The Missionary Families of Christ (MFC), formerly known as Couples for Christ - Foundation for Family and Life (CFC-FFL) is a Philippine-based
Catholic charismatic lay community that emphasizes individual renewal, family life renewal, Church renewal, societal renewal and
evangelization
In Christianity, evangelism (or witnessing) is the act of preaching the gospel with the intention of sharing the message and teachings of Jesus Christ.
Christians who specialize in evangelism are often known as evangelists, whether they are i ...
. MFC is a missionary body, and the families and individuals that make up this association are to strive to be instruments of the Holy Spirit in renewing the face of the earth.
7 Core Values
The community's Core Values describe who they are and what they are called to do in the world. They provide parameters and constant guideposts in their moving on in their life and mission.
:Centered on Christ.
:Evangelistic and Missionary.
:Focused on the family.
:Being community.
:Living a preferential option for the poor.
:Exercising servant leadership.
:Being a servant to the Church.
History
Missionary Families of Christ is the new name, mission and vision of the former CFC-FFL. CFC-FFL came about in 2007 through the initiative of leaders and members of
Couples for Christ-Global Missions Foundation (CFC-GMFI), it is led by one of the first sixteen couples of Couples for Christ - Frank Padilla. It is recognized in various archdioceses and dioceses around the Philippines and has a number of international affiliations.
CFC-FFL originally started as a restoration movement within CFC; this was led by the Easter Group. The movement began on April 8, 2007, following the dissemination of then CFC Director Francisco Padilla's paper "CFC and GK – 3: At the Crossroads on our Journey of Hope and Joy," which argued that, among other things, CFC's identity and presence in
Gawad Kalinga
Gawad Kalinga (GK) ("to give care" in Tagalog) is a Philippine poverty alleviation and nation-building movement known officially as the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation.
Its mission is to end poverty for 5 million families by 2024.
...
(GK) is being suppressed.
On June 22, 2007, the CFC Elders Assembly was held to elect the members of the
CFC International Council and the Board of Elders. The
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines; ceb, Hugpong sa mga Obispo nga Katoliko sa Pilipinas;
bcl, Komperensya kan mga Obispo Katoliko kan Pilipinas; hil, Komperensya sang mga Obispo Katoliko sang Pilipinas; ilo, Kumperensya ti ...
(CBCP) recommended that the elections be postponed in favor of further dialogue with the Easter Group. The Elders Assembly declined the recommendation, and proceeded with the election. The Easter group argued that by declining the recommendation of the CBCP, CFC has disobeyed the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. This event and continuing disagreements regarding
Gawad Kalinga
Gawad Kalinga (GK) ("to give care" in Tagalog) is a Philippine poverty alleviation and nation-building movement known officially as the Gawad Kalinga Community Development Foundation.
Its mission is to end poverty for 5 million families by 2024.
...
galvanized the Easter Group to separate, and form the Couples for Christ Foundation for Family and Life.
The group was established on August 1, 2007, when Bishop Gabriel Reyes, the bishop of Antipolo, officially recognized it as a private association of the faithful in his diocese. CFC FFL's break-away from GMFI was officially declared after their leaders met with
Philippine bishops on August 28, 2007.
On October 6, 2019, CFC-FFL officially changed its name to Missionary Families of Christ, as the new name now describes and encompasses the mission and vision of the community.
Organization
According to MFC statutes, members of MFC are organized into cell groups called a Household. A group of Households form a larger grouping, and such larger groupings form an even larger grouping, forming a pyramidal structure.
Within MFC are various Sections that represent the different members of the family. Each Section is equally important as the other. Sections such as ''MFC Couples'', ''MFC Kids'', ''MFC Youth'', ''MFC Singles'' (for unmarried adults below the age of 40), ''MFC Handmaids'' (for women above 40), and ''MFC Servants'' (for men above 40).
In 2012, as a response to the call to New Evangelization, MFC spearheaded the Live Christ, Share Christ Mission (LCSC) whose goal in to mainstream Catholic lay evangelization. The pillars of LCSC are the Live Pure Movement, Live Life, No One In Need Movement and Live the Word.
Servant General
The International MFC Community is headed by the Servant General, Frank Padilla.
The Servant General (SG) acts as the keeper of the charism and exercises overall leadership and governance of the life and mission of the worldwide community.
Servant Leaders of MFC
In the Philippines, it is led by the Servant Council: made up of 7 members chosen by the SG for a term of 2 years, with the Country Servant as first among equals.
2013–2015: The Servant Leadership was composed of the Servant General, the Country Servant of the Philippines, the Body of Counselors to the CoS, and the Apostolic Board (advisory board to the SG).
2012: The Servant Leadership was composed of the Servant General, the Country Servant of the Philippines and the Body of Counselors to the CoS.
2008–2011: The Servant Leadership was composed of the Servant General and the Body of Counselors.
National Coordinators of Sections
There are 6 Sections in MFC: Couples, Singles, Youth, Kids, Handmaids and Servants. Each equally important to the life and mission of the community. Prior to MFC, the 5 Sections (Singles, Youth, Kids, Handmaids and Servants) were part of the Family Ministries. In the chart, the Coordinator under MFC Couples are the ones in charge of the Young Couples (YC).
International
The Americas
MFC is present in Canada, USA, Ecuador, Argentina, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and the
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...
.
MFC Canadais sanctioned by the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto
The Archdiocese of Toronto ( la, Archidioecesis Torontina) is a Roman Catholic archdiocese that includes part of the Province of Ontario. Its archbishop is also the ecclesiastical provincial for the dioceses of Hamilton, London, Saint Catharines ...
. It is located in
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to:
People
* Scarborough (surname)
* Earl of Scarbrough
Places Australia
* Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth
* Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong
* Scarborough, Queensland, su ...
, an eastern end of
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
. The ministries serve Catholics around
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
,
Manitoba
Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...
, and
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
with the majority residing in the
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater T ...
such as
Brampton
Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a List of municipalities in Ontario#Lower-tier municipalities, lower-tier municipalit ...
,
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
,
Mississauga
Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popul ...
,
Markham Markham may refer to:
It may also refer to brand of of clothing which originates from South Africa which saw it's establishment in 1873.
Biology
* Markham's storm-petrel (''Oceanodroma markhami''), a seabird species found in Chile and Colombia
* ...
, and a few others.
MFC Cayman Islandsis currently serving as community ministry of
St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church, the lone parish of an independent mission in the Caribbean as a suffragan in the ecclesiastical province of the
Archdiocese of Kingston, Jamaica, in union with the
Archdiocese of Detroit, USA. The community is in partner with the communities in the US and Canada for MFC’s mission in the Caribbean.
Europe
MFC is present in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Netherlands, UK, France, Monaco, Spain, Azerbaijan, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Czech Republic, Poland and Slovenia.
Africa
MFC is present in Botswana, Malawi, Nigeria, Ghana, DRCongo, Tanzania, Cameroon and Uganda.
Middle East
MFC is present in Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE
Asia
MFC is present in Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, India and Vietnam.
Oceania
MFC is present in Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea
Footnotes
{{reflist
External links
Missionary Families of ChristLive Christ, Share Christ Movement
Catholic lay organisations
Religious organizations based in the Philippines
Catholic Church in the Philippines
Christian organizations based in Canada