Almighty Father, in these dark times when evil is rampant throughout the world, you have called us, chosen us, and appointed us to rise in defense of your work. We are your missionary families, commissioned to defend faith, family and life.
Lord Jesus, you are the Rock upon which our families, our community and our Church are founded. With you as cornerstone, help us to be built as living stones into a spiritual house, holy and acceptable. Build this house to withstand the floods and winds of adversity that assault us each day.
Holy Spirit, send us forth as your holy warriors, with clarity of vision and zeal for mission. Empower us in the proclamation of the gospel of salvation in Jesus, and help us in defending our Church against the forces that seek to weaken her.
Mama Mary, teach us the way of kindness and mercy, unite us as your beloved children, and keep us in your loving embrace always.
Amen.
Our Core Values describe who we are and what we are called to do in the world. They provide parameters and constant guideposts in our moving on in our life and mission.
1. Centered on Christ.
In everything that we are and do, we look to Jesus, who is our Savior and Lord. Jesus is our model in our obedience to the Father, in our faithfulness to His call, and to total submission to His divine will. And as He who called us is holy, we ourselves will strive for holiness of life (1 Pt 1:15-16), and look to exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit in our day-to-day lives (Gal 5:22-23).
2. Evangelistic and missionary.
We are called to proclaim the good news of Jesus to the whole world (Mk 16:15). We are his witnesses (Lk 24:48). Every MFC member is an evangelizer, in the normal day-to-day environments of our lives. We look to doing mission beyond our own environments to the very ends of the earth.
3. Focused on the family.
Our life and mission is founded on strong families in Christ. We recognize that the future of humanity passes by way of the family. We defend and strengthen Christian marriage, we raise our children to be the next generation of God's people, we establish our homes as pieces of Kingdom ground. In our defense of the family, we are called to a strong advocacy and defense of the culture of life.
4. Being community.
We are a family of families, the community that is MFC. We are a worldwide family of many different nationalities and cultures but all sharing brotherhood and sisterhood in Christ. We desire to move forward together in our life in the Lord, providing love, affirmation, friendship, support and healing. We are committed to the good of our brethren, always living the truth in love (Eph 4:15).
5. Living a preferential option for the poor.
We recognize Jesus' mission to bring glad tidings to the poor (Lk 4:18). We look to both the spiritual and material upliftment of the least among our brethren. In doing so, we will be in solidarity with the poor by striving to live a simple lifestyle, to share our resources, and to fight for social justice in the world.
6. Exercising servant leadership.
We are privileged to serve God and His people, both in and out of MFC. We serve with the mind and heart of Jesus, who came to serve and not to be served (Mt 20:28). Leaders are to serve with humility, self-sacrifice and submission to the Chief Shepherd, to whom we will render an account (Hb 13:17). He who wishes to be great shall be the least of all (Mt 20:26-27).
7. Being a servant to the Church.
We in MFC are an integral part of the Catholic Church. We are submitted to our bishops and to the pope. Our life, formation and service will conform to Catholic values and ideals. We make ourselves available to be of service in the parishes and dioceses, especially in the areas of family and life. We look to Mary, the mother of the Church, as our inspiration and help.
