PrayTheRosary Apostolate

10 Steps to Building a Catholic Home

STEP 1: KNOW YOUR FAITH

Educate Yourself in the Faith. When Faith goes, so do Morals. Read and re-read as a family the Baltimore Catechism which was widely used before Vatican II. You can read it on-line by clicking on the link: http://www.cin.org/users/james/ebooks/master/baltimore/bindex.htm

More to follow.

              Thanks to: communigate.co.uk

STEP 2: PRACTISE YOUR FAITH

It is important to remember that God will not abandon us in our responsibilities and that what is humanly impossible is made possible through the graces we receive through the Sacrament of Matrimony. This is why Jesus has given us the Mass and sacraments. Make sure that you and your children attend the traditional Latin Mass which is the true Mass of the Roman rite and available in many areas of the country.

STEP 3: PROTECT FAMILY VALUES

You can strengthen your family by making sure family members have a clear idea about their day-to-day responsibilities in and to the family. The Church teaches that fathers, as the head of the family, are to preside over, provide for, and protect the family; the mother's primary responsibility is to nurture the children. Parents have a duty to help each other in these responsibilities and to rear their children in love and in the Christian spirit.

We've created an environment where both parents frequently have jobs outside the home; a society of more work and more stress; families have no time to be a family.

STEP 4: JOIN WITH OTHER FAMILIES

Without help from good Catholic schools, parents may find it a struggle to maintain interest and enthusiasm in the continued effort to teach their children the Faith. It can be a source of comfort and encouragement for parents to know that they are not alone in this respect. Try to get in touch with other Catholic families for advice and mutual support.

STEP 5: PREPARE YOUR CHILDREN FOR SACRAMENTS

All baptised children should be prepared for the reception of Confession and Holy Communion when they reach the age of reason, i.e. at about the age of 7 or 8. They should know some simple facts about the Faith and be able to distinguish between ordinary bread and the Body and Blood of Our Lord.

At a later stage, they should be prepared for the Sacrament of Confirmation by which they receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost to enable them to lead good Catholic lives and resist the temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil.

STEP 6: GUARD THE WINDOWS OF THE SOUL!

Keep a careful check over media influences that can lead your family astray.

Television has a particularly harmful influence on us because of the nature of many of the programmes it transmits directly into our homes. Much of the output of television has declined to an appalling standard, with a daily output of programmes featuring sex, violence, bad language, sensationalism and gossip, and humour that is worthy only of the gutter. Television has now reached a stage where it is positively harmful to your soul, and you should do all you can to protect yourself and your family - especially your children - from it.

Even some children's programs - especially for those in their early teens - feature items on fashion, immodesty, and an obsession on attracting the opposite sex. There are also programmes on television which promote anything other than traditional family values, with many dramas providing role models of dysfunctional families, encouraging discord within the family, rebelliousness in children, and experimentation with 'alternative' lifestyles and encouraging people to view them as "normal".

With a daily diet of depravity, it is not surprising that many "viewers" are influenced in their attitudes by what they watch. As an antidote to television, encourage your children to read good books. Do this by example, by reading to your children from the time they are infants, and by making books easily accessible with a home library and/or frequent trips to your local library.

STEP 7 : BE VIGILANT

Be vigilant over your children’s friends. Get to know your children’s friends, or at least try to determine whether their influence is good or bad. Teach your teenagers to accept responsibility for their spiritual welfare. The best aid a father can have in teaching his teenager is a good memory! Be sympathetic, honest, and remember that "more flies are caught with honey than with vinegar."

STEP 8: BE AVAILABLE

Cultivate an atmosphere of generosity, fairness and good humour. This means giving generously of your time and efforts on behalf of your children, being always 'there' for them when you are needed and offering a sympathetic ear to their outpourings.

STEP 9: HAVE CHRISTIAN SYMBOLS

Adorn your home with constant reminders of your Christian faith: A Crucifix reminds us of the precious price Christ paid for us; holy pictures and statues bring to mind events in the life of Our Lord; a favorite Scripture verse or two or an open Bible remind us of what is most important in life. Do not buy just any Bible; every Catholic family ought to have a faithful translation of the Vulgate e.g. the Douay-Rheims Bible, made by Saint Jerome in the fourth century and canonized by the Church.

STEP 10: GOOD CITIZENSHIP

Teach your children to love and honour their country, appreciate its history and keep its laws. Teach them the value of good neighbourliness and respect for their elders, and encourage them to be kind and generous to all, especially to those less fortunate than themselves.