Since its release last spring, Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation on marriage and family, Amoris Laetitia ("The Joy of Love"), his reflections on the Synods of Bishops he called in 2014 and 2015, has generated a lot of talk in the media. Attention has returned to it recently as various dioceses and parish role out plans to study and implement the document.
The full text has been available, and for those of you who want to delve deeper into Amoris Laetitia — and I hope (read our editorial) that is many, many of you — I have a wonderful resource to offer. We asked a moral theologian and a lay ecclesial minister to put together a study guide on this teaching document.
The guide offers chapter-by-chapter summaries of Amoris Laetitia and then discussion questions. It was prepared by Jana Bennett, an assistant professor in religious studies at the University of Dayton in Ohio, and Peg Ekerdt, a pastoral associate at Visitation Parish in Kansas City, Mo., whose ministry includes marriage preparation.
Used in conjunction with the full text of the document, the guide is perfect for individual or small groups. It can easily be used for an adult education class or a college or upper-division high school classroom.
The guide is available as a digital download. A copy of the study guide can be downloaded from our website: NCRonline.org/family. NCR subscribers can access it with their eNCR that is available to subscribers. (If you subscribe to NCR but aren't yet accessing eNCR, the digital replica of the print issue, visit NCRonline.org/eNCR for more information.)
If you use the study guide in a small group setting, we'd love to hear about it. Send me a message at dcoday@ncronline.org or share on NCR's Facebook page at facebook.com/NCRonline.
