Catholic families are meant to be nurturing and safe environments where children are valued and receive training in the faith and virtues. The primary task and goal of the Catholic family is to model discipleship while raising children to be committed and formed disciples of Jesus Christ. This sets and launches the course of their children for the rest of their life.
Family life passes through predictable developmental stages, each with its own particular tasks and challenges. The family functions as a system that is interdependent on internal and external inputs and factors. The family experiences crisis when its equilibrium is lost and is lacking or closed to needed supports.
There are many reasons and factors why family life can become stressful or problematic. The following resources are offered to assist with the different challenges and needs your family may be encountering as spouses and parents.
“The Christian home is the place where children receive the first proclamation of the faith. For this reason the family home is rightly called ‘the domestic church,’ a community of grace and prayer, a school of human virtues and of Christian charity” – Catechism of the Catholic Church
“The future of the world and of the Church passes through the family” – Saint John Paul II
“Families are at the very heart of our archdiocesan efforts to unleash the Gospel, because they are the first and most important setting in which evangelization takes place.” -Unleash the Gospel, Guidepost 7
Additional Information and Resources
- Widowed Friends - A group for widowed men and women within the Archdiocese of Detroit.
- Good Mourning Ministry - A Catholic bereavement apostolate.
- Catholic Miscarriage Support - Resource web site dedicated to offering practical and spiritual support for Catholics who have lost a child to miscarriage.
- Red Bird Ministries - Catholic grief support for parents of child loss.
- Resources for understanding, overcoming, and preventing pornography addiction.
