At St. John the Evangelist Church, we hold the family in highest regard when it comes to the Faith Formation of young people. That’s because parents are the first and primary influence of their child’s faith formation. “The family, is so to speak, the domestic church.” (from the Church document: Lumen Gentium #11). This means that it is in the context of the family that we first learn who God is and to prayerfully seek His will for us. (From usccb.org – for more information click here)

You can watch a Video on “The Domestic Church” for greater insight.

In the Catechism of the Catholic Church we read: “The Christian family constitutes a specific revelation and realization of church communion, and for this reason it can and should be called a domestic church.”

It is a community of faith, hope, and charity; it assumes singular importance in the Church, as is evident in the New Testament. The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit. In the procreation and education of children it reflects the Father’s work of creation. It is called to partake of the prayer and sacrifice of Christ.

The relationships within the family bring an affinity of feelings, affections and interests, arising above all from the members’ respect for one another. The family is a privileged community called to achieve a “sharing of thought and common deliberation by the spouses as well as their eager cooperation as parents in the children’s upbringing.”

Of course, daily prayer and the reading of the Word of God strengthen the family in charity. This can also help the Christian family to share in the evangelizing and missionary work of the church. From “home base” a Christian family members go into school and work with the love of Jesus in their hearts – shining forth for others.

See more at Strong Catholic Families.