What CFM Is
Christian Family Movement is a national network of parish/neighborhood small groups of families. Parents meet regularly in one another's homes. Through the use of programming available from the CFM USA Office and the dynamics of small group interaction, Christian values are reinforced and families are encouraged to reach out in action to others.
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Benefits of CFM
- CFM makes lasting friends
- CFM helps couples stay married
- CFM supports family life
- CFM helps members grow in faith
- CFM helps members get involved in the community
- CFM makes members aware of the issues facing the community
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The Community of CFM
Community is more than getting together in a group. The members of a community are open to one another and united in mutual respect even when they disagree. They are willing to be honest about how they think and feel.
As people get to know each other, trust grows among them. There is a willingness to pull together for a fellow-member in need or a concern in the neighborhood. If you can work together to answer that call, community is forming.
A community learns how to laugh at its troubles, takes time to relax, play, pray, re-create its humanity, evaluate its needs and its unique direction. Many families each year find community in CFM. CFM is a network of family support groups which have sprung up throughout the country.
The CFM group consists of five to seven families with the adults meeting two evenings a month in each other's homes. Through the use of CFM's many different programs, members discuss what they have observed in their own family or community, judge what they have seen in the light of Jesus' teaching, and then act to change things for the better.
The observe/judge/act technique is the "Jocist Method" first pioneered by Canon Joseph Cardijn, founder of the Young Christian Worker Movement in Belgium. Through the application of this method, many CFM families have become involved in helping others in such ministries as foster-parenting, prison ministry, refugee sponsorship, religious education and couple counseling.
In the Community of CFM, children have the right to be safe and
protected from harm in any and all environments. Sexual misconduct and/or child abuse is contrary to Christian principles and has no place within society. Click here for the full CFM Policy on the Protection of Children/Young people and Prevention of Sexual Misconduct and/or Child Abuse 
.
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Outline of a CFM Meeting
Gather and Pray
The meeting always begins with a prayer, read or sung, prepared or spontaneous.
Reconnect
Take a few minutes to let one another know how your life has been since you last met.
Reflection
Quiet reflection and discussion help group members to step away from the ordinary pressures and distractions of the day and to focus on the issues of the meeting from a Christian perspective.
Report on Actions
Group members report on the progress of CFM actions taken individually, as a family, or by the group. This is the appropriate time to describe needs that have come to the attention of the members.
Social Inquiry
Quotations, facts, and statistics, drawn mainly from the writings and observations of experts and advocates, add perspective to the issue under discussion.
Observe
Members should "Get the facts." At this stage of the meeting, members should refrain from expressing their opinions about facts. They should try to simply report, like any good objective newspaper reporter. The knowledge and experience of group members are valuable, but the group must go beyond its own members to gather facts from the larger world and report them objectively. One can editorialize later.
Judge
For CFMers, to judge is not to find another person sinful or holy; it is rather the comparison of how things are with how things should be, in accord with Gospel values. To make such a comparison requires objective observation of how things are, as well as a sincere effort to determine the teaching of Jesus.
Act
If the group judges through prayer, reflection, and observation that things are not as they should be, then ways to bring about a change will come forth from the group. Actions listed in the book are suggestions. The best actions come from the group. They may be directed toward improving family life relationships, or toward the community and beyond. If action is the essence of CFM, autonomous action is its quintessence.
Look Ahead to the Next Meeting
Set the time and the place. Preview the "Observes" to see if specific assignments are required.
Closing Prayer
The meeting ends with a prayer, the one suggested in the chapter or another chosen by the group or the discussion leaders.
Social Time
A short social with simple and inexpensive refreshments helps members to know and understand one another better and builds community.
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Being CFM - Many Styles, One Movement
CFM is practiced in a wide variety of styles throughout the U.S. Some groups meet just as adults to Observe-Judge-Act, involving their children in non-meeting actions and social events. Other groups meet with children present, under the care of a babysitter. Others involve bring their children to the parish facility and provide a faith-building activity for them while the adults meet in another room for discussion. All are CFMers!
St. Benedict Cathedral Parish, Evansville, Indiana
- Rotate the monthly meetings among the homes of the members, September through May
- Host family facilitates the meeting; members take turns reading as they move through each meeting.
- Children come with their parents, and babysitting is provided by the older children in the group.
- Each group has a lead couple that keeps everyone informed about meeting times
- Parish has 2 groups which do not mix members year to year.
- Three joint meetings each year with both action groups: Advent Mass, Family Games Night, Summer Picnic
- Involving the whole parish: Donation of new underwear for the needy, “Undie Sunday”; Sponsored marriage enrichment program,“10 Great Dates to Energize Your Marriage”
St. Lawrence Martyr, Redondo Beach, California
- 96 families meet in 8 action groups at St. Lawrence
- Monthly in each other’s homes
- Groups shuffle members each year.
- Couples do not bring their children to meetings.
- Groups plan family events on other occasions.
- A parish CFM Board meets once a month consisting of all the group leaders, the section leaders, a treasurer and secretary
- Parish Board plans CFM year and takes charge of the large group events.
St. Jane Frances CFM, Pasadena, Maryland
- Seven families, with 6 married couples, one single-again member
- Members come from 3 surrounding parishes
- Wide age range: 30’s to 60’s
- Some families have grown children, some have school age, some have none
- Meets monthly in each other’s homes.
- Young children accompany their parents and play while the adults meet
- Actions planned for adults only and with children: Rebuilding Together home repair for needy; making casseroles for soup kitchen, collecting food and clothing for poor.
Holy Family CFM, in Inverness, Illinois
- Parents and children meet at the parish facilities: Forty-one families in all.
- Monthly except June, July and December
- A leader couple gathers all the families, then they break into small groups with members facilitating, using the CFM inquiry book.
- Small groups rotate participants each time
- Younger children are baby-sat in the parish nursery
- Older children enjoy a simple program: gym night, movie night, pajama & movie night, etc.
- Family extra social events 4 times per year: whole family, couples', ladies' and men's nights.
- Offers a family-style parish religious-education program for school-aged children
St. Thomas of Villanova CFM, Palatine, Illinois
- Meets in the parish school building on the first Friday of the month
- A leadership team leads the meetings and plans occasional extra family activities. Children come with their parents and meet upstairs in the school while adults meet downstairs in small groups.
- The adult discussion groups shuffle participants at each meeting.
- Meeting time is followed by ½ hour family social/activity time
- Children are divided into two groups: Kindergarten and younger and Grades 1-6. The Babysitting provided for younger children; older children have craft/theme focus/discussion/video night.
- Extra events: two service projects a year together, a family gym night in January, and a family Mass and potluck supper on a Sunday in March.
Sacred Heart Parish, Winchester, Virginia
- 53 families meet in 7 action groups.
- Meet every 3 to 4 weeks in each other’s homes
- Grouped by common interest and life stage
- Groups are shuffled each year.
- Some groups meet with adults only; some groups take their children to the meeting.
- Large group activities with adults and with the whole family.
- CFM teens often baby-sit for the younger families, who share the cost.
Holy Family Parish, Latrobe, Pennsylvania
- Meet monthly at the parish hall
- Begin with a pot-luck supper
- Parents gather in small groups and discuss the CFM meeting chapter
- Members plan service and family activities
- Children have separate activities while adults meet
- Families regroup for closing prayer
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Tools For Action
In 1968, the Executive Committee of CFM stated that "the goal of the Movement is the development of couples, families and others in their personal relationships through social consciousness and involvement." This goal remains the same today. We are called not only to Observe and Judge, but to Act.
The best actions come out of your action group experience and allow members to act individually, or as couples, families, or groups, to improve the quality of family or community life. Here are some suggestions to help you identify actions you can undertake.
- Read your local newspaper, paying special attention to articles about community needs.
- Identify and learn about local charities and service agencies that minister to the needy in your community.
- Contact them and find how your CFM family or group can assist them.
Many worthwhile organizations and programs operate in your own community that can benefit from CFM support. The following is just a partial listing of such opportunities:
- Big Brothers & Sisters
- Habitat for Humanity
- Headstart
- St. Vincent DePaul Society
- Crisis Pregnancy Centers
- Food Banks
- Free Medical Clinics
- Literacy programs
- Shelters for Women & Family
- Ministries which provide emergency rent, food, and shelter
More groups can be identified by contacting the local Chamber of Commerce, the United Way, or public and religious social service agencies in your community.
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Starting CFM at Your Parish
How can CFM fit into what's already happening at your parish? Often times parishes are unwilling to start something new because there's already so much going on. Talk to your pastor today and ask how CFM can fit into your parish's existing and future efforts to support the family. CFM has a lot to offer all kinds of families; traditional families, single-parent families, blended families, step-families, empty-nesters.
To help you get started, CFM offers two "CFM-in-a-box" kits. These include everything a small group of couples needs to get started enriching their family life, marriages and growing in faith.
This 10-page book gives you all the details on Starting a CFM Group.
Listed below are some ways that CFM can fit into the organizations and groups that may already exist in your parish.
1. Ministry to Newly Married Couples YOUR MARRIAGE: THE GREAT ADVENTURE
This book can offer CFM as a follow-up ministry to young couples in your parish. A 12 meeting program designed for couples who want to strengthen and enrich their marriage. Topics include: Why marry, self, roles, communication, conflict, outside influences, family of origin, zest and vitality, spirituality, sexuality, reaching out and celebrating.
2. Small Group Program for Lent – TAKING THE TIME TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE
This book can offer CFM as a Lenten activity, without a long term commitment until they get "hooked!" A 6 meeting introduction to CFM. Meetings deal with: relationships, time, neighbors, family rituals,
institutions and outside influences and building memories.
3. Follow-up to RCIA, Renew, Other Small Group Faith Communities.
Many CFM Program books are excellent follow-ups to small group faith experiences such as RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) or Renew. In particular, the process employed in Renew is quite similar to that used by CFM. CFM programs are provided free to members of the movement.
We offer several special interest programs. One popular program is IN SEARCH OF JESUS for teens. The sessions deal with three challenging questions: Who am I? Who is Jesus? How do I relate this to others?
Contact . or visit the Publications page for more detailed information on the CFM books.
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