September’s Focus: The Dignity of the Family
Suggested Family Activities:
Bless one another at bedtime or before leaving the house in the morning. This can be as simple as
crossing each family member with the Sign of the Cross.
Integrate prayer into the rhythm of your life: waking up, at meals, at bedtime.
Each day, ask each family member to express an “attitude of gratitude” for someone or something that
day. Post them on a bulletin board, the refrigerator, or on your Facebook page!
Read about saints for families. Choose a patron saint for your own family.
Find more information at www.americancatholic.org
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St. Monica: Patron Saint of Wives, Mothers
St. Joseph: Patron Saint of Husbands, Fathers and the Working Individual
St. John Bosco: Patron Saint of Youth
St. Anne: Patron Saint of Grandmothers
St. Joachim: Patron Saint of Grandfathers
St. Raphael: Patron Saint of Single People
Plan a time when your family can participate in service to your community, parish or extended family.
Reflections + Discussion Starters:
Do you have a favorite family recipe? Where did it come from? How has this recipe been passed on
through your family? What is your plan for passing it along?
Who passed on the “recipe of God’s love” to you? How are you passing this on to your children? How are
you sharing this with other family members and friends?
How is your parish like a family to you?
© Diocese of Syracuse, 2015.
Suggestions for starting a family prayer ritual:
Written by Lisa Hall, Respect Life
- pick a time and place where everyone is together (our family prays in the morning before we leave) try
to make it the same time every day
- pick a space to be together (for example, gather around the kitchen island - cereal bowls are usually part
of the space too)
- designate the space (we have a standing cross that sits right on our kitchen island - it's a good reminder
and sometimes even helps to stop an argument)
- don't make the prayer time too cumbersome, but do make it a priority (there will always be someone
who's cranky, tired, doesn't feel well, etc. Stick to it anyway. You'll feel better about yourselves and one
another after you pray together)
- don't expect perfection, especially in the beginning. (learning to pray spontaneously, or by using
Scriptures or other prayer methods takes practice. Many of us are not good at it and will be
uncomfortable at first. Show your kids that it's ok. Practice makes progress. Using standard Catholic
prayers at first can help too)
- take advantage of Apps to set calendar reminders or get daily readings at: usccb.org
Teaching your children how to communicate with God will have lifelong benefits and bind your family
more closely together. Minutes well spent...
Blessings:
Blessing of the Backpacks/Students: Parish Activity
Announce a few weeks in advance that there will be a blessing of backpacks and all students at the
September 5/6 or 12/13 weekend liturgies. Invite the students to bring them forward before the final
blessing. A spontaneous blessing can be prayed over them, or the following might be used.
God of wisdom and knowledge, we praise you for the wonders of our being, for body,
mind and spirit. Be with our children as they begin a new school year. Bless them. Give
them strength and grace as their bodies grow; wisdom and knowledge as their minds
search for understanding; peace and enthusiasm for their spirits. May they treat each
person they encounter with dignity, recognizing God’s loving presence in one another. We
ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.
Adapted from Prayers to Begin a School Year
Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
© Diocese of Syracuse, 2015.
Commissioning of Catechists at Mass: Catechetical Sunday, September 20: (Catholic and public school
teachers might also be included)
Visit http://bit.ly/1m7M0CL for more information
© Diocese of Syracuse, 2015.