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World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Faith Communities | catholic family life | raising kids in the faith
There is always something more in our faith. As Catholics, we are blessed to have so many ways to pray and to worship. There are ways to pray alone and at home with your family, but there are many beautiful ways to worship and pray in community with others. Parish-facilitated events which include a time of prayer can be a great starting point for building communities of faith. Your parish may offer Eucharistic processions, guided holy hours, praise and worship nights, Stations of the Cross, or evening Vespers. Life is already full, so finding time for attending these things can be a challenge. Parish community events take extra effort to attend, but are vital to sustaining our faith as they provide organic opportunities to meet other Catholic families.
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Catholicism | New Evangelization | Parenting | raising kids in the faith
A Special Invitation My son loves to altar serve. He started doing it as soon as he received his first Communion, and now that he’s been doing it for almost two years, he’s begun training some of his younger friends. He started off by serving just daily Masses, where a kindly teenage server taught him a new task each week until he had learned to do everything from holding the hand towel to ringing the bells. Now, he’s begun doing the same for his friends as they’ve all reached the age to begin altar server training. Back when he first started his training, he loved it when he could see his friends sitting in the pews. He was always excited when his friends attended the Masses that he was serving, and after one of his first Sunday Masses, one of his friends approached him afterward to tell him what a good job he had done. When asked how he had learned to serve, my son told his friend that he had someone teaching him during daily Masses, which are generally shorter and have less pomp and circumstance than Sunday liturgies. And then, without missing a beat, my son invited his friend to attend daily Mass with him.
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Parenthood | family life | raising kids in the faith
There is a perennial perplexity of parenting: discerning the best course of action from among many good contenders. Case in point, last night when I got home late from the last pick-up. We have five kids and there are lots of great activities they are involved in — cross country, volleyball, basketball, student council, space club, driver’s ed (our first! Yikes!), debate, etc.
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Behold Your Mother | Family Time | raising kids in the faith
Imagine the scene: Months after her Son’s Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven, the Blessed Mother sits in the home of the beloved disciple, surrounded by a small group of Christ’s followers. Having spent, at best, three years with their Messiah, these new Christians are eager to learn more about Him. Mary quietly and humbly shares the stories of the Annunciation, her visit to Elizabeth, and Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. She tells of Christ’s childhood growing up in Egypt and then Nazareth, the harrowing search for Him on the road from Jerusalem, and that time they both attended a wedding in Cana.
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Mass with Children | raising kids in the faith
CatholicMom.com contributor, Megan Cottam reflects on the ways young children naturally witness to the faith. “Why do you bother bringing your kids to Mass? Isn’t it a hassle?” “Religious concepts are for older folks. Little kids are too young to understand.” Any of this sound familiar? For us moms with small kiddos, it can be daunting to handle the rejection that comes at us when we are doing our best to raise our children in the faith.
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