Pope Francis' eight tips to improve family life
10 Summer Fun Ideas for Catholic Families:
1. Go to Daily Mass with your children: Daily mass is a great way for your family to spend quality time together and grow closer to God. Daily mass is usually much shorter than Sunday mass, so your kids shouldn’t complain too much. The parish daily mass doesn't fit your schedule? Summer is a great time to visit other local Catholic parishes in your community.
2. Visit a shrine or go on a pilgrimage: Treat the family to a visit to the CATHEDRAL SHRINE OF THE VIRGIN OF GUADALUPE, 2215 ROSS AVENUE DALLAS, TEXAS 75201.752 and if possible, attend Mass. The Cathedral is the mother church of the 630,000 Roman Catholics in the nine-county Diocese of Dallas.
3. Pray the Rosary daily: Praying the Rosary is the strongest tool against the enemy, so why not bring your family together to benefit from the graces as well? Don’t expect all of your kids to sit quietly through the entire Rosary, which is why you may want to start out with saying a decade first. You can work your way up to finishing the entire Rosary in no time.
4. Attend Vacation Bible School: Most Catholic parishes offer Vacation Bible School. Contact your local parish and sign up the kids and even volunteer yourself to help with the activities. It’s a great way to spend a few hours a day for a week getting closer to Christ!
5. Volunteer as a family: Check out the local nonprofit agencies in the area and see how you can volunteer as a family. Visit the local nursing home in your community and/or make cards for the residents. Volunteer at your local parish-Contact your parish office and ask how you and your family can get involved! What greater way to bring your family closer together than to serve others through Christ?
6. Make friends with other Catholic families: Having other Catholic families to call friends is so important to your family’s spiritual growth. You can all go to Mass together and spend time with each other, and share your love for the Catholic faith
7. Create a sacred space in your home or yard: Does your family have a space at home dedicated to praying together? This can be a corner in the living room with your favorite icons, and maybe some candles. Why not dedicate a space outside while the weather is great? Find a nice place under a shady tree and plant some flowers. Place a nice statue of Christ and your favorite saint there and get the family together for a Rosary!
8. Go to Confession together: Parents are charged with leading their kids to Christ, and what better way than to share in the sacraments together? Children benefit from seeing their parents go before Christ as a sinner, with the desire to amend their lives. Teach your kids to love confession by leading as an example.
9. Go on a nature walk or visit a park: One of the best ways to teach children about God is through creation. Go on a nature walk or visit your local park and examine the many ways God is present in creation.
10. Make Catholic arts and crafts: Kids love arts and crafts! It’s important to encourage your kids to get their creative juices flowing and they love doing so with you. Check out the link below for some cool ideas!
Catholic Family Websites:
TEACHING CATHOLIC KIDS | http://osvparish.com/
Editor Margaret DeMatteo offers an ages-and-stages approach to the liturgical season with awesome craft and activity ideas, reflection questions, prayer and more. This site is perfect for catechists, homeschoolers, moms and more; be sure to bookmark this page on your browser.
CATHOLIC MOM | http://catholicmom.com/
True to its name, this site offers a plethora of tips, tools and reference materials for Catholic moms. Daily features include the Daily Gospel Reflections, Tech Talk and Book Notes. On Sunday, new Lectionary-based activities are posted, and there is a weekly giveaway of Catholic resources. Founded by popular speaker and writer Lisa Hendey, catholicmom.com offers moms various ways to connect and build community by joining in book-club discussions or the Small Success linkups.
CATHOLIC ICING | http://www.catholicicing.com/
Kid time is all about finding something to do in 20-minute increments; the smaller your kids the shorter their attention span. One great way to pass the time — and give your faith a boost — is to visit catholicicing.com. This website is loaded with kid-friendly crafts for the beginner all the way up to the pro. Lacy Rabideau offers clear instructions and numerous ideas for tiny hands.
EQUIPPING CATHOLIC FAMILIES | http://equippingcatholicfamilies.com/
This site offers family activities, seasonal crafts, reading recommendations and more. Updated often, Monica McConkey also provides links to other sites (such as Pinterest), excellent Catholic resources and family-friendly catechetical materials. Equipping Catholic Families shares plenty of ways to involve your whole family in actively being Catholic.
CATHOLIC FOODIE | http://catholicfoodie.com/
This hip and timely site offers recipes, food blogs, cooking tips and more, all within the context of our Catholic faith. Jeff Young’s goal is to us understand “how food — good food — can be a sign of God’s love and care for each of us and our families.” Food brings families together. Be sure to bookmark this site for the seasons of Advent and Lent and any time you’re looking for fresh and wholesome family recipes.
LOYOLA PRESS | https://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/family/family-faith-and-fun
Catholic family life is an opportunity to recognize the grace of God in daily living. Choose a link for ideas on how to nurture your family’s faith.
This year, the Church will celebrate Catechetical Sunday on September 16, 2018. The 2018 theme will be "Enlisting Witnesses for Jesus Christ." Those who the Community has designated to serve as catechists will be called forth to be commissioned for their ministry. Catechetical Sunday is a wonderful opportunity to reflect on the role that each person plays, by virtue of Baptism, in handing on the faith and being a witness to the Gospel. Catechetical Sunday is an opportunity for all to rededicate themselves to this mission as a community of faith.
