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Fr. Pinto Paul is the International Director of the Boston-based Holy Cross Family Ministries. In this role, he oversees the programs and services at centers in 17 countries
Family is the Domestic Church
Family is the Domestic Church
The Family fully alive makes the Church alive, and the ripple effect will be felt throughout the world. Friends, as we thank God for taking us through 2020, we look forward with hope for 2021. If you are looking for a positive, life-changing, transforming way of being in 2021, this may be just the invitation you yearn for. This message invites you to choose the following major goal for the new year 2021: BUILD MY FAMILY INTO A FULLY ALIVE DOMESTIC CHURCH.
How do I do this? Accomplish the following 12 monthly objectives to become a more dynamic, prayerful and fully alive family:
January, prayer; February, virtuous; March, grit; April, forgiving; May, hopeful; June, loving, July, faithful; August, hospitable; September, tenderness; October, purposeful; November, holy; and December, joyful.
As 2021 begins, I invite you to focus on prayer in the Family for the coming 30 days.
God wants our families to be prayerful. Why? Because prayer is the most powerful force in heaven and on earth. Prayer changes things. Venerable Patrick Peyton said, “The Family that prays together, stays together.” Here’s the good news, Father Peyton also said, “If families give Our Lady 15 minutes a day by reciting the Rosary, I assure them that their homes will become, by God's grace, peaceful places.”
Let’s make a clear choice to pray as a Family at a specific time every day. This daily prayer is essential to deepening your family’s joy, faith, hope, and love.
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A good way to rethink Family prayer is to place Christ at the center of your Family life rather than trying to squeeze Him in among the gaps in your busy schedule.
"Christ is the Center of this Family." We see these very words on plaques in many homes. Remember, if you include your prayer as an afterthought to "more important" activities in your schedule, your prayer will become perfunctory, dry and dull. Invariably this leads to abandoning prayer altogether.
However, when you fully integrate prayer into every aspect of family life, everything the Family does becomes prayerful. This includes playing, praying, working, and talking. All of these will be filled with God's love and become acts of prayer. Before you know it, your Family will be fully alive as a Domestic Church.
How about some familiy activities ?
How about some familiy activities ?
I would like to encourage all to take up this small family activity for this
Family Activities
Family Activities
Create a “prayer corner” in the home if you don’t have one. Along with the Bible, Rosaries, and prayerbooks, place a statue or picture of the patron saint of your children with a candle in front of it.
Encourage children to learn about their Patron Saints and pray through their intercession.
It is helpful to invite the children to light the candle as a sign that the family is at prayer.
Another practical way to enrich the prayer experience for the whole family involves a Prayer Pilgrimage through the house while praying the Rosary.
For example, the Rosary might begin at the “prayer corner” in the living room with the Sign of the Cross, Apostles Creed, Our Father, Three Hail Marys and Glory Be. This introduction might be led by the parents or an adult guest. Then the family moves to the Kitchen for the First Decade of the Rosary led by the Mother, to the Playroom or Den for the Second Decade led by one of the children, to the Master Bedroom for the Third Decade led by the father, to the girls’ bedroom for the fourth Decade led by a daughter, and the boys’ bedroom led by a son.
The Concluding prayers and Litany of Loretto could be led by a teen.
Prayer Help from Holy Cross Family Ministries
Prayer Help from Holy Cross Family Ministries
To deepen the prayer experience in January, consider using the newly released film PRAY, the story of Venerable Patrick Peyton. He pioneered the mission to inspire, foster and promote the prayer life and spiritual well-being of families throughout the world.
Second, join the PrayFest campaign has set itself the goal of touching the lives of 1M+ people around the globe by promoting Family & community prayer.
Join us in praying for Healing and Renewal through PrayFest. It offers us a new way to pray for our world as one believing community. You can participate in PrayFest by downloading the Familheey app and joining the PrayFest family. Here is the link: https://share.familheey.com/page/groups/prayfest
On PrayFest and other Holy Cross Family Ministries social media platforms you will find daily messages that inspire, foster, and promote your prayer life and spiritual well-being.
I join our new pastor Father Stephen and the parish leadership team in wishing You, Your Family, and Loved Ones a Happy and Blessed New Year!
I join our new pastor Father Stephen and the parish leadership team in wishing You, Your Family, and Loved Ones a Happy and Blessed New Year!
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