3. Find some alliesMy husband and I invited an old friend, a priest, for dinner the week our firstborn son left for college. He gave our son a handmade ceramic cross from the Holy Land. Then he looked our son in the eye and, in as forceful a tone as I’d ever heard him use, said, “I have just one thing to say to you: Don’t lose your faith!”
What a message for a kid going off to college: Someone, besides your predictable old parents, cares passionately whether you practice your faith as you grow up. Allies like this are invaluable. Where to find them? They may be godparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, fellow parishioners, parish priests and staff members, coaches, teachers. Encourage them not to be bashful in talking about faith with your child.
Sandria De Sapio, age 28, of Chicago describes the power of weekly childhood gatherings with her large extended family to pray the rosary for their grandmother, who had cancer: “My grandmother exuded such warmth and love that it seemed impossible to live without her. But in praying together, even at the age of 10, I felt solidarity, comfort, and trust in God and in my family.”
Many parents, at significant cost, send their children to Catholic schools to provide both a faith community and a faith perspective all day in school. The benefits extend far beyond religion class: My daughter and son learned about saints from the nun who taught music, about All Souls’ Day from the art teacher as they created art to commemorate their dead loved ones. In class, children pray together for relatives in combat or battling cancer. Daily they see the witness of adult men and women who share their faith.
Encourage kids to become altar servers, a major antidote to liturgical boredom. Not only do they get to learn the liturgy up close, but they’ll get to know some priests and lay ministers.
It’s vital to have adults and kids at the parish who know your child’s name, who are glad to see them at Sunday Mass. Can your family invite the pastor over for dinner or out to a restaurant?
Catherine O'Connell-Cahill