Tonight I submitted my short book entitled, “Raising Children to Love the Lord,” to the Deacon at our church.  (Big thanks to my awesome friends Carrie and Joanne for editing the book for me!)  Many prayers that he likes what I have produced and this is something we can get distributed at church.  My goal is to have all parents who are having their children Baptized, to receive this book as a gift from the church.  My prayer is these new parents take the steps needed to raise good Catholic children.  Many, many prayers that the next generation is stronger in their faith than ours.

I interviewed three couples at church who have successfully raised all their children to remain practicing Catholics and are now raising their own children Catholic.  A huge, huge victory, I might add, considering that most young people leave their parent’s faith when they march off to college. 

I’m very excited about this opportunity at church.  If this goes well, my plan is to produce several more books on different faith issues for the church’s use. 

And so, I will leave you with this…the introduction of the book.  Enjoy.

Introduction

Of all the pictures from my wedding, my favorite is a photo showing my husband, Frank, wiping a tear from my face with his handkerchief.  The picture is a bit blurry and out of focus, but I hold it the closes to my heart.

Moments before the picture was taken, we were reciting our Rite of Nuptials and the priest said, “Will you accept children lovingly from God and bring them up according to the law of Christ and his Church?”

I declared a happy yes and started to cry.  It was at that precise moment I realized the vow I had just made.  It wasn’t only a vow to my new husband but also a vow to God.

Now that I am a mother, I think about that moment quite often.  Frank and I strive to do our best to teach our children the Catholic faith and make Mass a priority on Sundays.  But we often wonder, “Are we doing enough?”  Fear sets in and we second guess ourselves.

Then we see remarkable families at Sacred Heart and see the power of faith.  We see faithful parents who have raised faithful children who are starting to raise their own faithful children. 

What is the secret? Is it only by the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit that sets these families apart?  Or is there something more.

My husband and I desired greatly to learn from these families so we could take the extra steps, whatever they might be, to do our best at raising our children in the faith.  What a blessing to have such inspiring, Godly people in our parish who are willing to open their hearts and share their stories with us.  I hope you enjoy these stories as much as we have enjoyed getting to know these couples on a deeper level.