AMERICA : YEAR OF FAITH FREE RESOURCES FROM BISHOPS

 

USCCB REPORT
As the Catholic Church celebrates the Year of Faith, the U.S. bishops' Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth is providing resources for families, including tips for keeping Sundays holy and centered on family, prayers and devotionals for the family, and ideas for building the presence of the Church in the home.
The resources are available online at www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/year-of-faith/year-of-faith-family-resources.cfmand include prayers for special occasions, guides for celebrating the Sacraments as a family, suggestions for praying as a married couple and reflections by Blessed Pope John Paul II and Cardinal Sean O'Malley, OFM Cap., of Boston. Additional resources will be added throughout the Year of Faith.
"The Year of Faith is a wonderful opportunity for the entire Church, and especially for families, to be renewed in the joy of what it means to be faithful disciples of the Lord Jesus," said Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, chairman of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). "Encountering Christ through prayer and the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Penance, is essential for this renewal."
One resource, the Family Prayer for the Year of Faith, is available as a bilingual prayer card at www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/prayers/family-prayer-for-the-year-of-faith.cfm.
The Year of Faith began October 11 and will continue to November 24, 2013. The year commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and the twentieth anniversary of the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
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Handing on the faith is a privileged and joyful task of parents, but it can seem daunting at times. That’s why the Year of Faith, which began Oct. 11, 2012, is such a blessing. During this time the whole Church focuses on nurturing the gift of faith we received at baptism. Dioceses and parishes have planned special activities, many designed for families. But there’s much that families can do, right in the home, to help members deepen their relationship with Christ. Below are a few suggestions to get started. Check back frequently, as more ideas will be added throughout the year.

Resources

Nurturing faith in the family through prayer, sacraments and catechesis:

Tips for keeping Sunday holy and family-oriented:

• Dies Domini. . .
  John Paul II, On Keeping the Lord's Day Holy
• Jesus' Eager Desire: Our Participation in the Sunday Mass. . .
  Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, OFM Cap., Pastoral Letter, November 2011

Celebrating the sacramental life of the Church as a family:

• How to go to Confession: helpful information for each family member on the Sacrament of Penance
• How to take small children to Mass
• Suggestions on how to pray as a married couple

Prayers and Devotionals to learn and pray as a family:

• The Family Prayer for the Year of Faith
• The Rosary
• Prayers for special themes/occasions (e.g., Thanksgiving, Advent, etc.)
• Eucharistic Adoration - make a Holy Hour as a family, or offer up intentions for your family members in Adoration

Additional ideas and resources for strengthening faith in the family:

• Ideas for building the family as "the domestic Church"
• Short excerpts from Church teaching for families during the Year of Faith
• SHARED FROM CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE OF USA