I hear it a lot, and quite frankly its probably my biggest fear. Families that you think are on fire with the faith, their kids lose their faith upon entering the world. Why does this happen? How can we guard against such a thing?
When Krista and I discuss our hopes, our dreams, and our fears, almost everytime we discuss our fears, one of our children losing their Catholic faith is almost always number one. Not money problems, not something major broken with the house, not even severe sickness or death make the top spot. That’s right, our greatest fear is that one of our children upon entering the world will give up their Catholic identity for something else that the world is offering.
We’ve been married now for 22 years. In those 22 years we have met a metric ton of great Catholic families. Families that have been very well catechised. Families that know their faith inside and out. Even in our sheltered circle of Catholic homeschoolers, we come across parents that are devastated that their child, or children have left the faith.
So far with one child married and out in the world, and a second child about to be married this month, we haven’t had the devastation that such a thing could cause happen to us, yet. Are we just lucky? Is it coming down the road? I don’t know. But what I can do, is share a few tips on things that we do keep our children firmly rooted in the Catholic Faith.
- Ask for the intercession of the Holy Family. St. Joseph, Mama Mary, Jesus, Help our families to find solace in the mantle of your protection. Help them to be raised up in the faith, and to know your Holy Will. Give our families that gifts of the Holy Spirit that we might use them in your service and bring souls to Heaven.
- Pray, and pray fervently. We can’t do it alone. We need divine intervention as often as possible to help us keep our kids on the narrow path to heaven.
- Pray together. Prayer time, is family time. The old adage is true, the family that prays together, stays together. Dad’s, take the lead. Studies show that children whose father’s are of the faith, practice the faith, and pass on the faith, are much more likely to stay with the faith. No knocks against mothers here, but dads, you carry a lot of weight when it comes to the practicality of carrying out your faith. Kids are always watching. They know sincerity when they see it.
- Pray with your spouse. Remember that marriage is a 3 ply cord, You, your spouse, and God. The stronger you keep your marriage, the greater benefit it is to the children, and the more likely they are to keep their faith. Many studies have shown that children in families who go through a divorce are more likely to become atheist, or claim no religion at all, than children who are in a family grounded with a strong marriage.
- Don’t just go to Holy Mass on Sunday and that be it. Don’t let your faith be something that you dust off on Sunday, and then throw in the back of the closet for the rest of the week. Make your Catholic faith, your identity. Make it who you are to the core of your family. Participate in parish events. Participate in that Knights of Columbus Fish Fry. Lead a dinner/dance that promotes strong Catholic marriages. Build that homeschool co-op that starts each week with Holy Mass. Encourage your children to serve where appropriate at the Altar of the Lord. Be Lectors, be servers, Sing, Sing, Sing the songs of the Lord. How else can I say it? Make the church, the parish, diocese, the faith, a central drumbeat of your life. Let the dogma truly live loudly inside you.
- Pickup an adoration hour. Bring your children. Maybe not all of the children at once, but a few. Teach them about the Holy Eucharist when they are young. Put the intentions of your family before the King of Kings as a family.
- Teach your kids the Faith. Yes, Sunday School / Sunday Morning Religious Ed / Faith Formation / Youth Group, these are all wonderful things. However, it is your responsibility as a parent to be the FIRST teacher of not just the Faith, but of being a person worthy of heaven to your children. I’m not saying that every child must be homeschooled, but wouldn’t it be amazing the amount of incredible catechesis that would be going on if every family took 30 minutes a day to teach part of the faith to their children? The Catholic Faith is so rich with tradition and teachings, that our children are so desperately craving. Feed that craving. If we don’t, the world will.
- Finally, pray the Holy Rosary every day! Our Lady in many of her apparitions has told the seers to tell people to pray the Rosary. “The rosary is the weapon against evil of these times” – St. Padre Pio.
These are just a few ideas on how to help keep your kids Catholic. Is it fool proof, well, no. But as a parent, we must do all that we can to get our children to heaven. For those who are reading this and one or more of your children have left the faith, know that you are in the intentions of our prayers. It’s not too late. Keep the door open, continue to pray to the Holy Family. Never underestimate the power of intercession.
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