We are launching a new podcast at work called Ready, Willing and Able. It’s designed to be a help for Catholic parents and in particular for those with kids in Catholic schools. In our pilot, we discussed several keys for families who desire to pass on the faith at home.
A key: praying each night as a family.
If covid taught families one thing it’s this: leadership starts in the home. And, unsurprisingly, spiritual leadership finds wings when a mother or father leads their child in prayer.
One key is to be consistent. Try to pray each night. If you miss a night, try not to miss two in a row.
The other key is variety. Kids have been “bored by the faith” for a long while, in part because parents rely solely on rote prayers. While there is nothing wrong with the Hail Mary or the Our Father (Aquinas calls it the perfect prayer in fact), kids need options when it comes to prayer. Try out different expressions of prayer when you gather as a family at night.
-Michael
A key: praying each night as a family.
If covid taught families one thing it’s this: leadership starts in the home. And, unsurprisingly, spiritual leadership finds wings when a mother or father leads their child in prayer.
One key is to be consistent. Try to pray each night. If you miss a night, try not to miss two in a row.
The other key is variety. Kids have been “bored by the faith” for a long while, in part because parents rely solely on rote prayers. While there is nothing wrong with the Hail Mary or the Our Father (Aquinas calls it the perfect prayer in fact), kids need options when it comes to prayer. Try out different expressions of prayer when you gather as a family at night.
-Michael