Living Catholicism: Developing Family Devotions

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November 16, 2004

Developing Family Devotions

As adult converts to Catholicism, my wife and I were way behind when it came to knowledge of specific Saints. Needless to say, there is an unending supply of great information about individual Saints available, so catching up is pretty easy. Part of this process is developing family devotions that help your children grow up with an intuitive understanding of the Saints as well as practical knowledge about individual Saints. Each family can enjoy a set of devotions that pull them together as a family.

For example, if your family is musically inclined you should develop a devotion to St. Cecila, the patron of music and musicians. Or athletic families can specially honor St. Sebastian, the patron of athletes. Every family has their special enjoyments or hobbies that can be enhanced in a spiritual way. This also encourages individuals in each family to seek out Saints that had the same enjoyments as they did. Once you choose a few of the specific activities or hobbies your family has, go to the Patron Saints Index (choose “List by Topic” at the top right) to find which Saint is the patron of this activity.

In our family, we’ve started a special devotion to St. Joseph in perhaps a little different way – we needed to sell our house and began with a St. Joseph Home Sale Kit. This lead to prayers to St. Joseph and eventually a desire to learn more about him. St. Joseph is an excellent personal devotion for fathers, as well, since he is the head of the Holy Family. This shows that almost anything can lead to a strong devotional life.

Once you’ve chosen a few specific Saints, the key is in integrating them into your daily life. If you simply try and bring them up periodically, you’ll eventually forget – probably several times in a row – and it won’t become the devotional activity it could be. One key is to say a quick prayer to the Saint as you start and finish the activity or hobby associated with the Saint. So, for example, if your children take music lessons you could ask for St. Cecila’s help just before going to the class. Same goes for St. Sebastian before a soccer game or basketball practice. In addition, when you finish the Rosary and/or night prayers as a family, include these Saints in your litany at the end. And know the Feast Day of the Saint, so you can do something special as a family (try to make it appropriate to the Saint). Some Saints also have a Chaplet that can be said periodically, perhaps after a family Rosary. And if possible, I would find a statue and perhaps a book about the Saint, which can be used to learn more about the Saint’s life and personal holiness.

The goal is to develop a strong devotional life for the family as a whole, which leads to increased holiness among family members. You can strive to emulate the holiness of the Saint and ask him/her to constantly pray for your family. Also, take the time to thank the Saint when things go correctly or when your family grows in holiness. It’s important for the whole family to realize when the Saint intercedes for you. Through the Saints, we can deepen our relationship with Christ and His Church.

God bless,
Jay

Posted by HolyFamily at November 16, 2004 03:23 PM