Catholic family association of Austria

The Catholic Family Association ( KFÖ ) is the largest family organization in Austria . It is supported by nine diocesan associations and sees itself as non-party .

It was founded in 1953 on the initiative and under the patronage of Cardinal König . "A society in which families with children run the risk of slipping below the poverty line issues a certificate of poverty for itself," said the then family advisor to the Bishops' Conference when it was founded in September 1953.

The Catholic Family Association has 60,000 member families across Austria and works with voluntary and full-time employees. Elisabeth Grabner has been Deputy Secretary General since January 2011, from May 2009 to December 2010 Christina Luef was in charge of the agendas and maternity leave substitute for Secretary General Rosina Baumgartner. From 2008 to July 6, 2011, Clemens Steindl was president of the association. After Steindl's sudden resignation, Irene Kernthaler-Moser took over the management of the association on July 7th. In November 2011, Alfred Trendl was elected President of the Catholic Family Association for a term of three years.

activities

The Austrian Catholic Family Association aims to strengthen families and contribute to the social recognition of their achievements. In this way he works in the family and parents' councils of the Ministry of Social Affairs , the Ministry of Education and the state governments. The advisory boards are responsible for assessing and commenting on relevant draft laws.

Specific concerns include the compatibility of family and gainful employment, financial justice for families in the tax, pension and transfer system, the ideal upgrading of marriage and family and a differentiated education system with freedom of choice.

The Austrian Catholic Family Association is a member of the Confederation of Family Organizations in the European Union (COFACE) and the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE).

Political work

As the largest family organization, the family association is committed to the following topics. These were taken from the guiding principle of the association and show the positions and priorities in the work of the KFÖ:

• Compatibility of family and paid work : The organization is committed to family-friendly workplaces and times. As well as campaigning for the various possibilities of reconciling family tasks and employment in the life cycle of families. The association promotes the recognition of skills acquired in the family workplace.
• Financial equity for families : Families provide essential services for society. The family association demands that these are recognized in the tax, pension and transfer system.
• Idea enhancement of marriage and family : Children enrich personal and partnership life and guarantee the future. Families have a personality-building effect and are therefore an indispensable support for a functioning society - is the opinion of the KFÖ. From this point of view, the KFÖ mobilized against the legalization of same-sex unions until November 2009 . This position was revised under the chairmanship of Clemens Steindl. The KFÖ welcomed the law on same-sex partnerships at the end of 2009: “The President of the Catholic Family Association of Austria (KFÖ), Clemens Steindl, described the solution that takes into account the great importance of marriage between men and women and avoids discrimination in other forms of cohabitation , the Partnership Act. "
• Upbringing, education and care : It is important to the family association that the care and educational institutions work together with the parents. He demands freedom of choice for parents in a differentiated care and education system.

The Catholic Family Association is represented in all key family policy committees and examines all relevant draft laws. The family association represents the interests of families:

• in the family policy advisory board of the Ministry for Social Security and Generations
• in the family policy advisory councils of the state governments
• in the parents' council of the Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture
• in COFACE and in the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe

Diocesan associations

As mentioned in the introduction, the Catholic Family Association of Austria is supported by the nine diocesan associations.

Catholic family association of the Archdiocese of Vienna

Barbara Fruhwürth is currently chairwoman of the Catholic Family Association of the Archdiocese of Vienna (KFVW), Antonia Indrak-Rabl managing director. Adolf Leitner is deputy Chairman.

With Margherita Mautner Markhof, geb. Countess Cassis-Faraone, wife of Manfred Mautner Markhof , who died in 2008 , was the Vienna Diocesan Association (KFV-Vienna) represented by a prominent chairwoman from 1966 to 1975. She was very committed to the association and managed some long-term innovations. Among other things, she set up the Mautner Fund , which still serves as an iron reserve for KFV Vienna. During her time, the referendum against the deadline solution fell in 1975 , which she had prepared together with Cardinal König, who was on friendly terms with her: "You could talk to Cardinal König completely openly - also about the pill."

One of the main innovations within the diocese during the presidency of M. Mautner Markhof was the introduction and establishment of marriage seminars and family meetings. The aim was to prepare the bride and groom for marriage not only from a pastoral point of view (with priests, married couples, and doctors as lecturers), in order to give the bride and groom the tools they need to avoid later divorces. The marriage seminar was compulsory to complete before the church wedding. The aim of the family rounds was to give the young couples and parents help in their marriage by sharing experiences. Long-term employee Gertrud Piesch , who was awarded the Papal Honorary Order Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice in April 2009 for her services to the KFÖ and the KFV-Vienna, played a major role in the implementation of the introduction and supervision of the marriage seminars and family rounds .

In 1973, the Grandma Service was launched to provide cross-generational childcare, which is still growing in popularity today. Other services provided by the KFVW are the "Gutes Leben" project, family vacations, tax information day, parents' academy and the plusminus campaign during Lent

Web links

• Umbrella organization of the Catholic family association Austria
• http://www.familie.at/Wien
• Entry on Family Association, Catholic in the Austria Forum  (in the AEIOU Austria Lexicon )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ KFÖ at COFACE ( Memento of the original from January 6, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ Members of FAFCE ( Memento of the original from June 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ ^{a b} KFV Vienna press release on Margherita Mautner Markhof (July 11, 2004) ( Memento of the original from September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.