There鈥檚 no road map to raising kids in the Catholic faith...
...but there are many God winks, inspired ideas, and time-tested family practices that can help guide us along the way. I鈥檓 sharing some lessons I鈥檝e learned as a mother of four, passing on the parental graces offered by others, as we all make our way through this sacramental journey called parenthood.
Your home is your domestic church. Make it easy to find God inside your house. Maybe it's a simple cross on the wall, palms from a past Palm Sunday on the mantel, or rosary beads nestled on a side table. Maybe it鈥檚 an image or statue of Jesus, the Holy Family, the Blessed Mother, or your favorite saint, or a picture of your family celebrating a sacramental milestone. Little ones notice everything, and all of these reminders are light in the eyes of a child.
Introduce the Sign of the Cross as early as possible.听Teach your children to recite this prayer and practice, 鈥淚n the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen,鈥� touching their forehead, their chest, and their shoulders in sequence.听听They will carry this blessing with them throughout their life, reminding them of the Holy Trinity and God鈥檚 love. Children especially like using holy water to bless themselves with the Sign of the Cross. The good news is that you don鈥檛 have to wait to go to church on Sunday to have holy water on hand. You can go to your church anytime and bring it home. A fun tip: you can purchase little holy water fonts online that adhere to a wall in a hallway, bedroom, or classroom.
Go to Mass and help your kids understand what's happening. Try to attend Sunday Mass every week and make it a big deal for your family. Maybe the kids dress up in their Sunday best and sport their favorite shoes. Teach them that the Mass is a special family dinner (or breakfast!) with our Catholic family, feeding our hearts and souls. You can help them make connections to meals at home, such as the washing of hands, prayers of thanksgiving, and sharing stories. Help them know that 鈥渃ommunion鈥� means 鈥渃onnection鈥� to each other and to Jesus. At Mass, all are welcome, and Jesus is the special guest. Jesus tenderly shares His love by nourishing our hearts through the bread and wine. My kids called the Eucharist the "Jesus cookie." They were excited to make their Holy Communion, so they could finally receive the Jesus cookie. That anticipation is a beautiful gift. And, of course, the anticipation of donuts promised after Mass is always a plus.
Join a parish and visit the church often, not just on Sundays. Consider joining a local parish and becoming part of that Catholic community. Participate in parish events and meet other parents, caregivers, children, and an extended family of parishioners. You might consider volunteering or teaching religious education. Additionally, there's always a reason to stop by the church, even if it鈥檚 just to say "hi" to Jesus or sit on the church steps and simply talk or eat ice cream. Let the church be your home away from home, a natural place where you and your family turn to.
Prayer matters. Teach your young ones a couple of prayers that they can recite by memory, and then pray together in the morning before breakfast and at night before bed. Pray in the car, even if it's a short trip. Pray when you pass a church. Pray when something good happens and pray when something bad happens. Pray for family members, friends, strangers, and, of course, animals. Go on prayer walks, write prayers, sing prayers, or grow a prayer garden. Pray with your hands, pray on your knees, pray on your feet. Just pray often, often enough that they realize prayer is an ongoing, everyday conversation with God.
Gift your children rosary beads and pray the Rosary. Share this sacred prayer practice, using prayer and rosary beads to connect children with the life and love of Jesus and the Blessed Mother for a lifetime. Holding each bead, they will learn the connection between the prayers and Mysteries over time. Encourage them to take their rosary beads with them wherever they go鈥攊n their knapsacks, sports bags, and jacket pockets.听 It鈥檚 a beautiful reminder that God is with them, and so is their other mother, the Blessed Mother. Additionally, praying the Rosary as a family has lasting benefits, reminding children that Jesus is the center of their family.
Liturgical celebrations are at the core of family traditions and sacred memories. Create or practice special family faith traditions for Lent, Easter, Advent, and Christmas. Maybe it鈥檚 baking a King Cake for Mardi Gras, creating a special menu for the family for Fridays during Lent, or assembling special Easter baskets that radiate faith. Perhaps it's making an Advent wreath, opening the daily doors of an Advent calendar, or dreaming up new ways to celebrate Jesus鈥� birthday, like putting balloons on the Christmas tree on Christmas Day. Whatever you do, have fun!
Bring God into family celebrations, like birthdays and anniversaries. Consider having your child adopt a "birthday saint"鈥攁 saint that you help them choose. Learn about the saint, and every birthday, the saint can "write" a card or some joyful birthday wishes to your child. There鈥檚 something powerful about having that saint show up in their life, year after year. Our oldest daughter's birthday saint was St. Dymphna, and she prays to her to this day, thirty years later.听 Another idea to consider鈥攍ong after you celebrate your child鈥檚 Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation鈥攊s to continue to acknowledge the anniversary dates of each sacrament, year in and year out. And if you are married, don鈥檛 forget to celebrate your own wedding anniversary as a family, too. Make all of these everyday occasions sacramental.
Be your child's faith storyteller.听Through your own personal stories, books, movies, music, actions, and words, help them see God at work in their lives and in the lives of others. Teach them how to find God in their own imaginations. Introduce God-talk early and often. Make God human to them. Ask them to explore鈥攚here do they see God, what does God look like, how would they draw God? Turn your empty cardboard boxes into backyard confessionals, ironing boards into altars, and help them play church so that they will live church.
Give and model ways to give back to others.听Our faith teaches us so much about loving and caring for our neighbors, friends, and strangers. What does giving look like in the eyes of a child? Have a conversation about need with your children and who you might be able to help or thank in your own community. Respond to a call to action by modeling a lived faith, providing your children a way to see their community as an extension of God in the world. It can be as simple as baking cookies for a neighbor or sending a gratitude card to first responders. A simple act of kindness lives on in a person's heart.
Finally, when it comes to raising your children in the faith, trust in yourself. God gifted you the greatest blessing: your children. He knew what He was doing. He knows you know what you're doing. Trust in God and remember we are all in this together.
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Karen Kiefer is the Director of the C21 Center. The Center's latest initiative invites Catholic parishes in the New England area to听join the growing Children's Ministry Partnership (CMP) community!听Receive the gift of free creative children's ministry resources to nurture each child's lifelong relationship with God and the Church.
Other Resources
Spread the Bread |听
The Misfit Sock |听
Drawing God |听
Grow ing God |听
Breakfast with God |听/content/bc-web/centers/church21/sites/childrens-ministry-partnership/resources/breakfast-with-god.html听