The Domestic Church

Dana Petricka, Director of Youth Ministry and Faith Formation

The family is the primary “formator” in the faith. Maybe you have heard that multiple times before or maybe not. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:

"Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children. They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule. The home is well suited for education in the virtues. This requires an apprenticeship in self-denial, sound judgment, and self-mastery-the preconditions of all true freedom. (CCC 2223)

"Education in the faith by the parents should begin in the child’s earliest years. This already happens when family members help one another to grow in faith by the witness of a Christian life in keeping with the Gospel. Family catechesis precedes, accompanies, and enriches other forms of instruction in the faith. Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God. The parish is the Eucharistic community and the heart of the liturgical life of Christian families; it is a privileged place for the catechesis of children and parents" (CCC 2226).

This sounds like a tall order for a church that has found itself stuck in a “drop off” approach to faith formation, where many parents “drop off” their children to let the church people do the educating on faith, though I don’t assume that every parent in the Catholic Church views faith formation in this sense. Many of our systems that are in place for faith formation for our youth do help parents be the primary formators in faith for their families.

Thankfully, there has been a push in recent years for an approach to faith formation and youth ministry that does empower families. Oftentimes it gets referred to as “Family Ministry.” I have recently begun working at the Diocese of Winona-Rochester as the director of youth ministry and faith formation, and I have gotten multiple calls and questions from faith formation coordinators regarding how parishes can help empower and educate parents in being the primary catechists to their children. This is the good news. The not so good news is I am discovering there isn’t a one-size-fitsall approach or a silver bullet program that will do the trick.

So how can we as a church better empower parents, grandparents, and guardians in being the primary formators of their families? My humble opinion is to start first by immersing your own family in prayer and discussion about the Scripture readings at Mass. Many times we tend to put the cart before the horse when it comes to our faith and we forget about the essentials, which are prayer and the Mass. If a family knows how to pray together (which is another subject for another time) and goes to Mass together, that is the only foundation to build upon. To take it one step further, the family can utilize opportunities to talk about the Mass and readings that everyone heard on the way home from Mass or around the table at a meal while it is fresh on everyone’s mind. You may need to review the readings before discussion, and thankfully we have wonderful technology in our pockets that allow us to read the Mass readings on our own.

As we all continue to grow in holiness together as a diocese, I pray that the Holy Spirit continues to guide us in how to better support and assist parents and guardians as the primary formators of faith in their families as the domestic church.