The Congress Incontro Romano was recently held in Rome where 280 participants from 10 countries ─among them Germany, Brazil, Spain, Italy, France, USA and Hong Kong─, presented their conclusions on the topic “Live the Family: Home Art.”
This “encounter” marks a series of congresses from 2006-2008 taking take place under the common theme of “Live the Family”.
The presentations and talks highlighted the excellence demanded by the daily work of home making, with its artistic and cultural dimension, and its influence in the lives of the persons.
The exchange of professional experience among persons from various backgrounds in each of the sessions of the annual Congress was enriching. Raquel Contador and Susana García from Madrid expounded their ideas in their presentation on “Home Art: live like an artist”.
“To live with artistic flair in the daily tasks at home,” said Raquel, “requires a personal attitude that is worthwhile fostering; learning to be observant without getting tired.”
The work of attending to a person directly, like that of home making, day after day, can leave a lasting mark on the persons who are loved, through the care for the material details that make life more pleasant.
“A clean house,” they continued, “clothes well taken cared of, the changing of a burnt out bulb, or the care for the dishes served at meals, all silently reflect the amiability and courtesy of the attentive service that is given by someone.”
The second part of the presentation introduced a project of the Centro de Estudio y Trabajo (CET). In this project, those who are at their studies in the university learn to balance it with the professional work of home making, through an integral plan of formation that simultaneously promotes an authentic meaning of the family.
Hot Pot: Good Food, Happy Home was the presentation of Tiffany Kung Wai Yee from Hong Kong. It emphasised the value of the hot pot, a traditional Chinese meal in which the ingredients of the meal are cooked as they dine at the table. The presentation valued a cultural element that makes family life and cooking go hand in hand.
The main presentation was by Claire Mazoyer from the Institut de Formation à l’Assistance aux Personnes (IFAP), France.
“The home,” Professor Mazoyer said, “reveals the tone of the family life of the family that lives in it. At the same time, the material tasks at home -the domestic activities- infuse warmth and life in an otherwise impersonal framework, precisely because they are done by people for other people.”
“Taking care of these material things (order, harmony, cleaning) creates a peaceful, serene, and beautiful environment that helps everyone in the family to rest. The domestic tasks have as an immediate end, the wellbeing of each member of the family. As it is, this work will always be necessary and is a source of dignity and improvement for whoever carries them out.”