– Danilo Ngo
Couples for Christ (CFC) Macau was very glad to host the 5th CFC China Chapter Leaders Training and Council Training at Choc Van Conference Center last October 2018. The China leaders from Manila and different provinces of China had an an audience with Bishop Stephen Lee of the Diocese of Macau. Bishop Stephen Lee had made it possible for the community to be registered and recognized in the Diocese of Macau as a renewal Catholic group, in addition to its registration in the Macau government as a non-profit organization under the name of CFCMA (Couples for Christ Macau Association).
Through the years, Couples for Christ (CFC) was able to get spread its work of evangelization in the most populated country on earth.
In 2004, CFC China was able to go on mission support to Mongolia. In 2005, the first Marriage Enrichment Retreat (MER) was organized in China. On CFC’s 25th anniversary, it was presented to locals in China. Two years afterwards in 2007, the first CFC center was established in Beijing and in Shanxi.
The following year, the first Christian Life Program (CLP) was organized in the Mainland, and saw the setting up of CFC Hebei. In 2009, when divorce in China was accelerating, the 3rd China Mission Head Conference was convened. In 2013, the China Leaders Accelerator Program (CLAP) was formed in Manila and the CLP was conducted in Nanchong, Sichuan.
It was Taiyuan’s turn to host the CLAP in 2014, that year being the 15th anniversary of the CFC in China. In the same year, CFC HK was re-established while the CLP was running in Taiwan.
In 2015, CFC Xian was established. The 1st CFC China Chapter Leaders Training was held in Macau SAR, while the 2nd CFC China Chapter Leaders Training was held in Beijing, China. The former activity was held at the Sta Isabel Retreat House at Coloane, Macau. It started with a silent retreat lasting around three hours.
CFC Tianjin was established in 2016 and in the same year, the 3rd CFC China Chapter Leaders Training was held in Ningbo. The 4th and 5th China Chapter Leaders Training were held in Hebei in 2017 and in Macau in 2018 respectively.
With the vision statement Families in the Holy Spirit Renewing The Face of the Earth, God made use of CFC to work miracles in China despite the language barrier. The initial two couples had grown to 3,000 members now present in 10 provinces and 20 parish churches in China.
Vatican Recognition
Couples For Christ (CFC) has been given recognition by the Pontifical Council of Laity in the Vatican as a Private International Association of the Faithful. CFC was one of the 50 international movements which were invited by the Vatican to the World Congress on Ecclesial Movements in May 1998 in Rome.
On the 25th of April 2005, on the feast of St Mark, the Vatican through its Pontifical Council for the Laity granted definitive approval of the statutes of Couples for Christ thereby confirming permanent recognition of CFC as a Private International Association of the Faithful, with juridical personality, according to Canons 298-311 and 321-329 of the Code of Canon Law.
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