How much do you know about the liturgy? What makes Archbishop Miller smile? How fond is he of unicorns?
The answers to these and many other probing questions are coming to the Joy of Family Week, five days of trivia, contests, prizes, and prayer for local families.
“So often families don’t get a chance to be and play together,” said Sister John Mary Sullivan, FSE, an associate director for ministries and outreach in the Archdiocese of Vancouver. “The week as a whole is a real simple way to celebrate, have a good time together, play together.”
It’s Vancouver’s way of joining in with National Week for Life and the Family and a time for families big and small, from any background, in any living situation, to celebrate their distinctive stories, she said. There’s also no time like the Year of the Family announced by Pope Francis to do it.
The week-long extravaganza begins May 10 with a video premiere starring local families featuring what makes them unique and precious. Then, May 11, there’s an archdiocese-wide Kahoot! game with friendly competition testing your knowledge about Catholic trivia. Prizes to the top three winners include a $50 restaurant gift card and Holy Family-themed artwork from local artists.
“It’s simple, it’s fun, it gives a chance for families to come together and work on something and be playful with each other,” said Sister Sullivan. “There are questions that range from simple to more complex so the whole family can be involved.”
Next up, May 12, the archdiocese will air a question-and-answer session between Archbishop J. Michael Miller and children from a local elementary school. (Yes, one of them wants to know what he thinks of unicorns.)
The following day is another competitive one. Families have been invited to submit TikTok-style videos up to 30 seconds long in response to a challenge to either “tell me you’re a Catholic family without telling me you’re a Catholic family” or to show “how your family gets ready for Mass.” Or both.
The deadline for those videos is May 7, and by May 13 the top contenders will be aired for all participants to see. Winners in each category will receive a $50 gift card.
Then, to wrap up Joy of the Family week May 14, Archbishop Miller will return to the front of the camera to bless everyone. There will also be a live Rosary with each decade led by a different family.
“It’s bringing the idea that the archdiocese is a family of families, praying together,” said Sister Sullivan.
Megan Rumohr, an assistant coordinator in the ministries and outreach office, said every family offers something special to the Church and community.
“You don’t have to have an extraordinary story. Every family’s story is unique and every family’s story has something to offer,” she said.
Or, as G. K. Chesterton has said, “The most extraordinary thing in the world is an ordinary man and an ordinary woman and their ordinary children.”
Registration for Joy of the Family Week is free. Visit family.rcav.org/week for all the details.
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