Building Up the Domestic Church

If Christian culture is a way of life centered on faith, expressing it in daily life, then I am convinced that the home is the best place for Building Catholic Culture. It is in family life that we build up daily habits of prayer, work, leisure, and fun in a way that incarnates the Christian life. We teach our children how to think, how to relate to God and others, and, in general, how to live.

I think there are four pillars to family culture:

• 1) Prayer as what shapes our daily routine
• 2) Education through the formation of the mind, desire, and imagination
• 3) Work and leisure as binding the family together in common effort and activty
• 4) Hospitality and community with other families

It was a pleasure to speak with my good friend, Dr. Richard Meloche, President of the Alcuin Institute for Catholic Culture, about how to build up the domestic church by strengthening culture in the home. Spending more time at home has given us the opprotunity reflect on our family life and to make changes to live our faith more boldly.