The World Meeting of Families 2018 will include seminars for adults with simultaneous programs from children and youth, a Festival of Families, and a concluding Mass.
Farrell told journalists that Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston, head of the Pontifical Council for the Protection of Minors, will run a seminar on child protection during the event, and a representative from the Gregorian University's Center for Child Protection also intends to be present.
Pope Francis is expected to participate, having voiced his hope to do so on several occasions, though an official confirmation is still awaited.
Leading up to the gathering, a program called "Amoris: Let's Talk Family! Let's be Family!" has been developed to help families, individuals, parishes, or other groups prepare.
Core elements include a six-phase parish-based program which includes opportunities for reflection and engagement with key themes in Amoris laetitia, practical outreach initiatives, a series of half-hour television programs, and live events hosted around Ireland featuring national and international speakers.
Live events will be recorded and available online. The materials for parish-based programs and other resources will also be available online.
The World Meeting of Families developed out of a request by St. John Paul II in 1994 for an international event of prayer, catechesis, and celebration for families. The first took place in Rome in 1994. It is held every three years.
It was most recently hosted in Philadelphia by Archbishop Charles Chaput. The 2015 event had approximately 20,000 attendees from 100 different countries.
Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic News Agency's senior Rome correspondent. She grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and has a degree in English from Truman State University in Missouri.