Romana

Vancouver, Canadá

On June 15, over 200 people gathered for a conference on the teachings of Saint Josemaría on work, family life and education, in the foothills of the mountains west of Vancouver. The activity was held at the Hollyburn Country Club, under the auspices of Headford Cultural Club.

The master of ceremonies was David Neima, ophthalmologist and promoter of health and educational initiatives in the third world, who presented Cecilia and Thomas Royals, from Chevy Chase, Maryland. The Royals spoke on the need to distribute one’s time between professional and family life, and shared their own experiences in facing the challenges of modern life.

Cecilia Royals, president of the National Institute of Womanhood, has worked in national and international forums to foster the care and welfare of women. In her talk she emphasized the advantages of the woman being the “creator of the home,” rather than a passive “wife at home.” The creation of a home, she said, includes the care for all its members, but extends out from the family, the fundamental cell in society, to society as a whole. Her husband, who is Assistant Headmaster of the Heights School, a high school for boys in Washington, D.C., spoke of the importance of the role of fathers in the education of their children.

The next speaker was Theresa Tomory. She and her husband were part of the group of parents who founded Hawthorn School, a girls’ school in Toronto. Mrs. Tomory explained the teachings of Saint Josemaría about the obligations and responsibilities of parents in the education of their children and emphasized that education begins in the family. In this regard she recalled that Saint Josemaría encouraged married couples to start schools. She closed her talk with a description of the beginnings of Hawthorn, and its objectives and guiding principles.

Another couple, Kathleen and John Higgins, spoke about family communication and explained how Saint Josemaría had helped them to be better parents and to win the friendship of their children.

In the course of the conference, the video “The Joy of Sanctity” was shown, which reflects the teachings of Josemaría Escrivá, and an exposition on his life and work was offered. All of his published works were also available for purchase by the participants.