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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
catholic family life | family prayer | pray the rosary
Let’s talk about something many Catholic parents face: getting your anxious teenager to pray the Rosary. If you’ve ever invited your teen to pray with you and been met with an eye roll, a sigh, or a silent stare, you’re not alone. And if you’ve felt torn between “I just want them to love the faith” and “I don’t want to push them away,” you are absolutely not alone. As both a Catholic mom and a therapist, I’ve been there. The good news? You’re not failing. You’re planting seeds. There are gentle, practical ways to invite your teen into the peace of the Rosary - without turning it into a power struggle. Here are some strategies that really work - with love, patience, and a little help from the Holy Spirit.
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Catholic Mass | Eucharist | Thanksgiving | family prayer
On this Thanksgiving Day, Catholic Mom contributor Julie Larsen discusses the early celebrations of Thanksgiving among Catholics in the United States. The celebration of the Eucharist (the Mass) is the highest form of thanksgiving for Catholics. Since I wholeheartedly agree with this, in celebration of Thanksgiving, I decided to research about where the first Mass in America was celebrated. There is considerable debate about where the first Mass was or could have been held. One claim is to St. Brendan the Navigator who discovered North Canada area back in the 6th century!
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catholic family life | family prayer | pray the rosary
Let’s talk about something many Catholic parents face: getting your anxious teenager to pray the Rosary. If you’ve ever invited your teen to pray with you and been met with an eye roll, a sigh, or a silent stare, you’re not alone. And if you’ve felt torn between “I just want them to love the faith” and “I don’t want to push them away,” you are absolutely not alone. As both a Catholic mom and a therapist, I’ve been there. The good news? You’re not failing. You’re planting seeds. There are gentle, practical ways to invite your teen into the peace of the Rosary - without turning it into a power struggle. Here are some strategies that really work — with love, patience, and a little help from the Holy Spirit.
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catholic family life | family prayer | pray the rosary
Whether you’ve prayed a few decades or simply held the beads on a hard day, you’ve already started retraining your mind toward peace one breath, one bead, one step at a time. Begin With Safety and Intentionality Before you even pick up your Rosary, pause. Notice your surroundings. Feel the floor under your feet, the weight of the beads in your hands. Signaling your brain: I am safe right now. Then take three deep, slow breaths - in through your nose, out through your mouth. Each exhale is an invitation for your body to release tension and your soul to receive grace.
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catholic family life | family prayer | pray the rosary
Family Rosary Time Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Powerful Let’s be honest — praying the Rosary as a family sounds beautiful in theory, but in practice? It can feel like a holy circus. The toddler’s chewing on beads, the kindergartener’s whispering “Is it almost done?” after the first decade, and your teen looking half asleep. Sound familiar? Here’s the good news: family prayer doesn’t have to be polished to be powerful.
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Catholic Family Fun | baking | family prayer | praying the Rosary
Catholic Mom contributor, Laurie Schmitt, shares a recipe for "Rosary Bread" and ponders how the bread-baking process is similar to our prayer life. Ciabatta bread, fresh from the oven, is one of my family’s favorite foods. It transforms an average meal into a feast, especially when served with a small plate of olive oil and shredded parmesan, and, of course, a glass of wine. I wish I could remember where I found this recipe. The ingredients are ordinary ones, the rise times are fairly typical, but perhaps the biggest trick is in the kneading, which takes a total of fifteen minutes. We’ve nicknamed this recipe "Rosary Bread," for this reason. While the kitchen mixer is busy kneading the dough, there’s plenty of time to recollect your thoughts, to pray about what’s on your mind and heart, and yes, to slip a Rosary into the mix. (Not literally, of course.) The essential steps to most any bread making are easy enough, but today I'm seeing a connection between the wholesomeness of homemade bread, and the holiness of a domestic soul.
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