Recipe for Raising Children in the Catholic Faith

The odds are stacked against us today if we want to raise our young in the Catholic faith. But my experience is that the combination of four important ingredients yields a marvelous result: family, parish, school, and renewal movement.

Family: Faith in the family is primary and essential. This means that the family prays together, in some fashion or other; that husband and wife are surrendered to Jesus Christ; and that God is a living, real presence in the home. Scenario: Free Sunday afternoon, prime time for the family. Dad want to see the game, Sis wants to go to the mall, Butch wants to see a movie, and Mom wants to visit Grandma! What to do? Simple: stop for a moment of prayer and ask God what he would like you to do. He will tell you. And you will all be (relatively) happy with the result. It is just that simple! Faith is not so much taught as caught; it is a holy contagion.

Parish: The family is essential and necessary but not sufficient; it needs to participate in larger environments of faith. The first of these is the local parish where primary catechesis occurs and all the sacraments are dispensed. Children must learn loyalty to the local parish, whatever its inadequacies. It is not necessary for the parish to have an appealing or charismatic pastor or priest. There is even an advantage, for the Catholic, if the pastor is dysfunctional in some sense (too progressive or reactionary; known to drink too much; cranky and unsociable) since the children will learn two indispensable lessons: first, that God pours his mercy and grace upon us efficaciously in spite of our personal failings and those of our leaders; second, that we likewise need to accept, forgive and love each other precisely in our very inadequacies.

School: Conservatives are home-schooling; the renewal movements develop their own alternate catechesis; mainstream suburbanites seem satisfied with governmental schools; and the anti-catechesis of liberal dissent has penetrated every level of the parochial system. Catholic schools are in crisis! Nevertheless, these schools are precious and invaluable for the passing on of the faith. At the elementary level especially our little ones are often exposed, for sustained periods of time, to people of basic, simple faith. This faith can be integrated over time into a comprehensive understanding history, humanity and creation. How can you put a price tag on this? Our parochial schools are simply indispensable!

Renewal Movement: The parish/school system we inherited is so weakened in comparison with the broader culture (including media, entertainment, politics, and peer cultures) that it alone cannot sustain the Catholic family in the faith. God, in his providence, has provided a variety of enthusiastic renewal movements which strengthen and inspire us with the faith. Over the years, we especially used summer vacation to send our children to World Youth Days, NET retreats, catechetical sessions, Catholic camps, and mission trips. These were fun, exciting and educational experiences. Especially important was the experience of being with other young people who share a joy and zeal for the Lord. These more than countervailed against the failings and weaknesses of parish and school and strengthened the entire family in faith. In today’s world, something like this is absolutely necessary.

So hostile to our Catholic heritage has become the broad culture that we desperately need to immerse ourselves in environments of faith. Particularly valuable is the synergetic fruitfulness of loyalty to both institution and movement. Consider Jesus himself: he worshipped in synagogue and temple, celebrated Passover, and was entirely observant (albeit more flexibly than some); and yet he started his public life by associating himself with the penitential movement of his cousin John the Baptist. He seemed to have among his disciples Zealots. He may have been influenced by the desert, monastic, countercultural, apocalyptic Essene communities. He was faithful to Tradition in a flexible manner, open always to the movement of the Holy Spirit.

The pontificate of John Paul and his protégé have ushered a New Springtime into the Church. Our children and their children will flourish in this refreshing flow of grace. Our families, parishes, schools and renewal movements are the privileged avenues for this holy outpouring.