Tag Archives: The Domestic Church

“Family Time” for Every Domestic Church

We started homeschooling this year, as our oldest began Kindergarten. In creating our approach to education in the home, I quickly became aware of a phenomenon on the homeschool blogosphere and podcast circut called Morning Time. I immediately implemented it, and it has been the most wonderful part of our daily routine, even (especially) on far-from-perfect days. Experiencing the fruit in my young family, and hearing from countless parents who have practiced Morning Time for decades, I believe that this communal activity is essential for every family, regardless of your school/work lifestyle.

What is Morning Time? Well, contrary to it’s name, it doesn’t have to happen in the morning. For some families it happens in the afternoon or in the evening. In short, it is a communal gathering of the whole family–across ages and across various subjects–to seek after truth, beauty and goodness. Cindy Rollins, the woman who bascially birthed the concept of Morning Time over 30 years ago, describes it this way: “…as a liturgy, Morning Time reminds us what we should love.” Continue reading →

“Rightly Ordering the Urgent & the Important:” A Local Workshop

For awhile now, I have had the inspiration to create a series of workshops that actually help people with the practical aspects of living as a “domestic church.” We all have the desire to be thriving domestic churches: schools of spiritual formation for our families and signs of life to a world hungry for the tangible Gospel message. But we have a lot of barriers and distractions in our lives that stand in the way of such a goal; some of these we voluntarily place there, and others force themselves upon us in this busy and hyper-mediated world.

Well, I’m excited to announce the first workshop in a series that I’ve branded “The Organized Domestic Church.” This is a local workshop — so if you know anyone in the Washington/Baltimore area who would be interested, please spread the word. I hope to see some of my local blog readers there and connect with you in person! Here are the details:

WORKSHOP TITLE:

“Rightly Ordering the Urgent & the Important”

WHERE:

Sacred Heart Church (Bowie, MD) in Whitemarsh Hall

(at the top of the hill by the historic chapel)

WHEN:

Saturday, April 22, 2017 — 9am until noon

(Refreshments, coffee, and tea will be provided.)

COST: $8

HOW TO SIGN-UP: REGISTER HERE by March 15th

Prayer in Your Domestic Church

 

familio_schumacher_katholisches_religionsbuchlein_002

Philipp Schumacher [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

A thriving domestic church — your family home and life of faith — is central to the faith formation of you, your spouse, and your children. One of the most important elements of family faith life is prayer. Family prayer time is the space where everyone in the home learns how to enter into the prayers of the whole church, and through this family ritual little children are exposed to “the Church’s living memory” (CCC 2685).

Perhaps prayer time has not been part of your family life; it’s never to late to start. You may be a young family with little ones, and you want to establish a growing family prayer routine. Or, you may be a family with older children who aren’t used to corporate prayer. As with various spiritual disciplines of the domestic church, many people are a bit overwhelmed about where to begin. It is easy to look at all the possible expressions of family prayer time and do one of two things: give up completely or try to do everything.  Continue reading →