For the Family

Families Living the Year of Faith

 Walk with your family through the door of faith. 

"To enter through that door is to set out on a journey that lasts a lifetime." Porta Fidei 

How will your family profess the faith this year?
Pope BenedictXVI tells us

"Faith grows when it is lived as an experience of love received and when it is communicated as an experience  of grace and joy. It makes us fruitful, because it expands our hearts in hope and enables us to bear life-giving witness: indeed, it opens the hearts and minds of those who listen to respond to the Lord’s invitation to adhere to his word and become his disciples."

Reaching out to others in charity and love  bears witness to our faith in our risen Lord, Jesus Christ, and our service to others generates within us a renewed enthusiasm for the common good. We become one with Christ, becoming FULLY ALIVE IN CHRIST.

“The Glory of God is man fully alive.” (St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Second Century Father of the Church.) This year, find opportunities for becoming fully alive in Christ through service to others in the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Maybe a neighbor, an elderly person you see at Mass on Sunday, or a food pantry in your neighborhood could use your loving attention. When mothers and fathers model Christian living in service to those in need, their children act naturally in following them through the door of faith. Even the smallest gesture of charity is a big lesson in love and it can last a lifetime. Christ is counting on you to continue his work in building the kingdom!

Information and Resources For the Family

For General Family Resources, please click here.

For Enriching Your Marriage, please click here.

For Elder Care, please click here. 

For Bereavement Ministry, please click here.

For Resources on Caring for those with Same-Sex Attraction,please click here.

Our Catholic Catechism refers to family as a “domestic church” (2204). In relationship to one another we form a community that shares faith and love. A family helps us to understand God's love. The communion of persons that we call family best exemplify the communion of the Father, Son,  and  Holy Spirit. The gift of children to a family reflects the glory of God’s own in creation. The Christian family is called to grow in faith and live in the world as a sign of Christ’s love.

When we consider the teachings of John Paul II given to the world in Theology of the Body, we must understand that Pope John Paul II is not merely speaking about sexuality. Fr. José Granados, co-author with Carl Anderson (Supreme Knight of Columbus) of Called to Love: Approaching John Paul II's Theolgoy of the Body,
emphasizes the insights of John Paul II into human relationships with one another and with Jesus Christ as the "meaning of the body."  "The Pope's proposal," according to Fr. José "is about the truth of love as the foundation of the person's dignity and the meaning of reality; and about the family as the place where the person finds himself and his way towards happiness.

"Moreover, one of the results of the sexual revolution is precisely the pansexualism that surrounds our society. We cannot respond with a different kind of pansexualism, with a sort of 'Catholic sexual revolution,'" Fr. José  cautions. To do so, he explains, "promotes a similar obsession with sex, even if 'holy'."

Anyone who has ever experienced family life knows that being a sign of Christ’s love every minute of every day challenges each member of the family. As your family shares the joys and struggles of relationship to one and another and God, you may find the resources on our For the Family webpages helpful. In an address on December 1 Pope Benedict XVI emphasized, "In our time, as in the past, the eclipse of God, the spread of an anti-family ideology and the abasement of sexual morality appear interconnected". This is why "the new evangelisation is inseparable from the Christian family. The family is the Church's 'path', because it is a 'human place' in which we encounter Christ. ... The family founded on the Sacrament of Marriage is an individual microcosm of the Church, a community which is saved and saves, which is evangelised and evangelises.

Like the Church, the family is called to live, irradiate, and express to the world the love and presence of  Christ."

Family Honor Programs - Want to be a better Catholic Parent?

Immaculate Conception-Dardenne  2/25, 3/4 & 3/11.  All programs 7-9pm.  Both parents invited and childcare provided.  For more information, contact  Jesse Eisenmann at (636) 675-9144 or email theeisenmanns@gmail.com.  Register through familyhonor.org under “Register for a program”. 

 St Clement of Rome  4/9, 4/23 & 4/30.  All programs 7-9pm.  Both parents invited.  For more information, contact Julie Killeen at (636) 675-9144 or email jkilleen10@gmail.com.  Register through familyhonor.org under “Register for a program”.

Missouri Upholds Religious Liberty, passing  SB-749

The MCC reports: "Every vote counts. SB 749 - the religious freedom bill - passed the Missouri House of  Representatives on Wednesday, September 12 by the bare number (109) votes required to override Governor  Nixon's veto of the bill in July.

Want to know how your Legislator voted?

Click here to go to the MCC tally of votes for the Archdiocese of St. Louis

Get the Facts: What the supporters of the HHS Mandate Don't Want You Know...

Read Mike Hoey's excellent letter in the 13 June 2012 Post-Dispatch 

"SB 749 protects the conscience rights of all insurance consumers, not just churches. The bill thus recognizes  that moral and religious convictions are not the sole domain of official religious bodies.

SB 749 protects the conscience rights of both business owners and their workers. For example, a business  owner may opt out of paying for contraceptives in the company's health plan; however, an employee could  obtain the contraceptive coverage directly from the insurer.

SB 749 ensures that people can raise conscience objections to surgical elective abortions. Workers who object  to paying for abortions can exclude and not pay for this coverage through their premium...."
Read more click here.

"The Science. The results are in: contraception availability does not reduce unintended pregnancie." Keith Riler explains. "Many adolescent males will wholeheartedly affirm a connection between the availability of  contraception and sexual activity, and scientific data supports the link. Studies have shown that contraception increases sexual activity — i.e., that more contraception means more sex."

Need more evidence? "Testimony. Abortion industry regulars admit the truth. Guttmacher regularly reports that 55%-60% of women having abortions are on contraception."

Catholic Families Take Action

Catholic Families as Good Citizens

2012: Archbishop Carlson asks for Catholic families to stand together against the HHS Contraceptive Mandate in Missouri    
        "And, therefore, I would ask of you two things.  First, as a community of faith, we must commit ourselves to prayer and fasting, that wisdom and justice may prevail, and religious liberty may be restored.  Without God, we can do nothing; with God, nothing is impossible. Second, I would also recommend visiting www.usccb.org/conscience, to learn more about this severe assault on religious liberty and how to
contact Congress in support of legislation that would reverse the Administration’s decision.I call upon each of you to join me and the Bishops of the United States in speaking out on this violation of religious freedom and conscience by contacting your U.S. Representatives and our U.S. Senators.  Every Catholic has the responsibility to promote the dignity of human life and religious freedom.  If we do not make our voices heard, no one else will.  Let us work together to preserve the freedoms our forefathers established in our Constitution!"

“The weakest members of society should be helped to defend themselves against usury, just as poor people should be helped to derive real benefit from micro-credit, in order to discourage the exploitation that is possible in these two areas.”  [par. 65, Pope Benedict XVI Caritas In Veritate, 2009]

How informed are you on legislation in the State of Missouri regarding Catholic School advocacy?

Get the latest information by clicking here.

The mission of the American Center for School Choice is rooted in two basic propositions: The education of the child is a fundamental responsibility of the family. Enabling parents to choose the school that will best help them to fulfill this responsibility. Check out School Choice around the Nation - click here.

           Invigorate Your Catholic Spirit and Change Your Environment - Attend a Cursillo Weekend

 Some say it's the best kept secret in the Catholic Church, but it's no secret at all. Several popes, inlcuding Pope John Paul II have praised the Cursillo Movement and enouraged Catholics to experience the weekend in their local dioceses. In 2002, on May 6, Pope Joh Paul II addressed an audience of those who had experience a Cursillo with these words: "The little seed sown in Spain more than 50 years ago has become a great tree rich in fruits of the Spirit." He was speaking about Cursillo, and on numerous occassions he blessed the Cursillo Movement.

People in St. Louis who have experienced the Cursillo weekend, have called it "a little bit of heaven right here on Earth," "transforming for me and my family," and "Cursillo has given me the tools, the knowledge to use them, and the confidence to use them to bring Christ into each one of my environments."

To attend a Cursillo weekend in St. Louis go to www.cursillo.org/stlouis and download a reservation form or email cursillostl@gmail.com for more information. Two weekends a year are held in St. Louis for men and two for women (fall and spring). Do you want to get to know Jesus Christ better? Do you have a love for your Catholic faith and want to know more? Do you want to know how easy it is to share that faith with your family, friends, and those with whom you work? Cursillo is short for Cursillo de Cristiandad (short course of Christianity). Begin your journey today. Contact Cursillo St. Louis.

Family Life Education

O’Fallon (636) 281-1990
Northwest (314) 831-1533
North City (314) 535-0017
West (636) 391-9966
South (314) 544-3800
Troy (636) 281-1900
Union (636) 583-1800
www.cfsstl.org 

Catholic Mom

 CatholicMom.com celebrates Catholic motherhood and shares ways to learn about topics related to faith and family.

St. Louis Healthy Families  

Educates, trains and advocates for stronger relationships, marriages and

communities in our region and state.  We provide a variety of services and programs to individuals, couples and families – both directly and in collaboration with other leading social service agencies and employers.

Family Retreat

Take some time to explore spirituality with your family. As a part of the Catechetical retreat program through the Archdiocese of St. Louis, family retreats offer the perfect opportunity for being together. Visit their website to register and see photos of all the fun. Sacred Heart Family Camp-click here. For more information or to register for Sacred Heart Family Retreat Camp, call the Sacred Heart Sisters at 314.429.0526 or 314.792.7464.

Those who try Family Retreat Camp once may find themselves returning year after year. Such has been the case for decades in California, where the camp originated, and the practice is gaining momentum in our area.

For views of the camp and directions, visit the Eagle Hurst Ranch website at www.eaglehurstranch.com.

A Prayer for Families by Heidi Busse
  All-Loving God,
we thank you for all of your good gifts
especially the gift of family.
For parents and grandparents
who nurture our faith
and lift us up in difficult times,
we thank you, God.
For brothers and sisters
who laugh and listen
and celebrate with us in joyful times,
we thank you, God.
For holidays and holy days
when we join together around the table
and remember the bond that unites us,
we thank you, God.
For all those who love us
and care for us
and welcome us home again and again,
we thank you, God.
For the gift of eternal life
and the promise that we will one day join
all of the beloved who have gone before us,
we thank you, God.
With the guidance of the Holy Family,
may we remain a strong and vibrant
family of faith, now and forever.   Amen.