In June 2021, the Holy Father announced that the World Meeting of Families celebration would not take place in the usual format. The event in Rome will be held for invited guests only – primarily representatives of episcopal conferences and ecclesial movements. The Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life has requested a U.S. delegation to include a limited number of married couples and families with clergy who have demonstrated pastoral solicitude and ministry towards marriages and families.

In place of the public worldwide gathering, the Vatican is strongly encouraging that all dioceses, with their local bishops, celebrate the World Meeting by gathering families for a customized, local experience of formation, prayer, and fellowship. The Dicastery has provided thorough guidelines for the local celebration of the World Meeting of Families. Find them here.

More planning resources for local celebrations can be found below:

The theme chosen for the upcoming World Meeting of Families in Rome is, “Family Love: A Vocation and a Path to Holiness.” Read the article, here. The World Meeting of Families (WMOF) will conclude the Year of Amoris Laetitia Family, a celebration of families in honor of the fifth anniversary of Pope Francis’ encyclical Amoris Laetitia. The celebration began on March 19, 2021, the day Amoris Laetitia was released 5 years ago on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph. the meeting will reflect on the spirituality of the family in light of the call to holiness expressed in Gaudete et Exsultate.


Prayer cards released in honor of the Year of the Family are available in the USCCB Store in English and Spanish. The cards feature a beautiful image of the Holy Family with the official prayer for the Tenth World Meeting of Families on the back. The prayer thanks God for the gift of family and asks God that families would be witnesses to the love of Christ.

This card can be used for a variety of audiences and purposes: during family prayer, for personal prayer, in parishes, schools, or small faith communities in celebration of the Year of Amoris Laetitia Family and in the years to come.

The last World Meeting of Families was held in Dublin, Ireland in 2018.

Keep up to date with the latest on the 2022 Meeting in Rome and family encounters stateside via the For Your Marriage - Marriage Monthly Newsletter.