Reunion of 'tenth-born children' sets Guiness Book world record in Argentina

Buenos Aires, Argentina, Aug 4, 2008 / 13:37 pm

Forty one people who are the “tenth-born” child in their family met in Buenos Aires in July to honor St. Gianna Beretta Molla, establishing a Catholic “Guinness” world record.

Promoted by the Argentinean Catholic daily, “Cristo Hoy,” which has one of the largest circulations in Latin America, the event attracted the attention of the press because of its message of love for the family and life conveyed by those who attended the gathering.

“Cristo Hoy” interviewed Mariano and Luz Carreras, the organizers of the meeting, who said they “spontaneously” came up with the idea of bringing together the tenth-born children to share their common experiences.

They considered the reunion to be “an act of thanksgiving to God the Father, first of all, and second, to our own parents, because if they had not been motivated to have large families, none of these tenth-born children would be here,” they told “Cristo Hoy.”

The couple said being part of a large family encourages children to learn how to “share, be patient, tolerate frustration and postpone gratification, which psychologists say are much-needed values in today’s society, to value each human life as a precious gift of God the Father, to learn that one can get by with a little, because what is important and necessary is not what the world tells you is essential but rather the presence of those at your side,” they said.

They went on to note that many people today are afraid they will not be to provide for all of the material needs of children. “The world rejects large families and sometimes they are attacked as if they were crazy. But those who decide to have a large family have eyes fixed on the Most High One, believing that the existence of a new member of the family and giving the other children a brother or a sister is more valuable than the material things they could otherwise have.”

The Carreras acknowledge that it is difficult to give enough personal attention to each child, but that “each family follows its own method.  Nonetheless, family time and time for the family should be a priority,” they said.