As Father’s Day approaches on June 17, the state of traditional family life in the United States has never been more uncertain. About 1 in 4 babies are now born to unmarried couples, a rate that has nearly doubled since 2002. Married adults now divorce two-and-a-half times as often as adults did 20 years ago and four times as often as they did 50 years ago. Polls indicate a majority of U.S. citizens now favor same-sex marriage.

And last week we learned some in our nation are apparently OK with abortion based on sex selection. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives couldn’t even pass legislation that would ban that practice.

It is because of those challenges and others, not so much our successes, that the Catholic Church has announced that the U.S. — and specifically Philadelphia — will host the World Meeting of Families in 2015. The pope usually attends the gatherings, which can draw a million people.

We welcome the news, hope the Holy Father will be able to come, and are especially glad about the teaching on the vocation of family life that will happen because of it.

A recent Pew study showed a majority of adults believe being a father today is harder than being a father 20 to 30 years ago. Next Sunday is a good opportunity to tell fathers all that they mean and have meant to us.
Be sure to send a prayer along with that tie. — Thomas J. Dermody