"The future of the Church and the world passes through the family"

- Pope St. John Paul II

I may not be the person to write about this topic, for when I first heard of the Domestic Church, I took it a little too literally, transforming my attic into a home chapel, with religious antiques and treasures no longer treasured by former Christian countries of Europe, and needless to say, far more appointed than most churches built between 1970-2000. This has been a great blessing to our home serving as a place of prayer, rosary, but especially when the Lord enters under our roof during Holy Mass. Below are some simple, proven, family-friendly, less literal ways to transform your home and your family into the Ecclesia Domestica it was meant by God to be. If we first embark on this course to protect, preserve, and defend our families, giving them the spiritual and catechetical tools they'll need in an increasingly godless society, we can then invite and encurage other families to do likewise. As Patriarch and Matriach we can restore the family and transform the family home into:

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II. Restoration Of The Family



-a school of prayer: pray the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, pray before meals, at bedtime, when hear an ambulance, pass a graveyard, see a homeless person, read Scripture, do any or all of these together

-a sacred space: install a crucifix in every bedroom, attach holy water fonts,  give them each their own rosaries, have them wear the brown scapular, use holy oil when they’re sick, make a home altar, put up religious art, protect computers from pornography, build a backyard grotto

-a school of faith and morals: eat family meals together, have meaningful discussions about important, eternal things, show them it’s okay to discuss your faith with others, act virtuous toward your spouse and children, equip them with the information they need to stand out not fit in to the current corrupt culture, discus moral issues through the lens of our faith, let them know the primacy of God and their place before him so they will be joyful, well-ordered, and become who they were created to be

-a place where God rules and reigns: consecrate your home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Immaculate Heart of Mary

-a place of fests and fasts: celebrate the liturgical seasons as a family, practice special prayers, traditions, or activities during Lent, Advent or Easter Seasons,  learn about the saint of the day, celebrate special feast days and solemnities, practice fasting where appropriate, teach them the power of redemptive suffering, laugh and mourn together, supporting each other at every stage of life

-a place of simplicity: donate all unused clothing, furniture, appliances, limit use of media time to a few hours on weekends, no televisions or computers in bedrooms, no phone use at dinner table or during family time,  teach them the value of delayed gratification, fight urges to accumulate more stuff which never satisfy and only lead us astray, have everyone give to charity and serve the less fortunate

It’s never too late to begin to transform your home into an Ecclesia Domestica, for if you do so your family will be under the protection of Christ and patronage of His Blessed Mother, and your family will likely receive untold blessings and graces, by placing God at the heart of your home. You can start many of these new family traditions today, explaining what they are and why you do them, and your children will be more likely to carry on these traditions with their own families. Let us pray for the grace to fulfill this our primary mission as parents, cultivating both faith and virtue in our children, nourishing their innate love of truth, beauty and goodness, teaching them by word and the example of our lives, so that they will discern and fulfill their God-given mission and be the joyful, flourishing people they were created to be.

What could this domestic church look like in your home?KE IN YOUR HOME?