Every month, several of our contributing bloggers here at Everyday Ediths contribute to the Catholic Women Bloggers Network (CWBN) Blog Hop. As has happened frequently th past few hops, our Everyday Edith theme seems to intersect beautifully, and unintentionally, with the CWBN Blog Hop.
This month’s CWBN theme is “Keeping Our Kids Catholic.” It sounds like a pretty tall order, but as Leslie pointed out in her Everyday Ediths article last week, everyone has a mission.
Parents are not exempt from the mission of evangelizing…
…especially to our own children!
The mission of evangelizing our own children takes a much more intimate trajectory, since we are aware clued in to our children’s personalities, their learning styles, and their struggles. We witness firsthand the pressures they face, and are called to respond to those accordingly.
As parents, we are the first introduction to faith formation for our children. We are also the first to launch them on their own, individual mission in life, teaching them the how’s and the why’s behind choosing a life responding to God’s word.
Knowing and believing this, don’t miss this month’s Blog Hop Roundup, and then let us know in the comments below – how are you “Keeping Your Kids Catholic,” or how do you plan to keep your future children Catholic?
A Beautiful, Camouflaged Mess of A Life
“At the end of the day, I can only do so much. I can’t make them stay Catholic. But, I can pray for, and with them. I can hope they see the beauty in the Catholic Faith. I can teach them “Why Catholics Believe,” what we believe, and teach them how to defend the Catholic Faith.” Anni shares the six steps she is taking in order to show the beauty of the Catholic Faith, in the hope her children remain Catholic as adults.
“Crafts and activities are a lovely way to accompany some of the teaching especially for younger children but should never take the place of the wonderful traditions that have been passed on from one generation to another for centuries.” Don’t miss more of Chiara’s take on how she and her husband are raising their family in the Catholic Faith!
“Is it any wonder so many parents worry about keeping their kids Catholic?
The answer, of course, is apologetics: the practice of defending one’s faith. Most families and schools begin instruction in this matter in high school, but as CARA’s research and my own kids’ experiences reveal, this is far too late.” In her post for this blog hop, Ginny re-shares an article from her archives – full of statistics, reports, and personal experience. Good food for thought!
“The best thing you can do to raise Catholic kids is to give them a Catholic parent serious about their own formation.
Your personal decision to take the charge of raising your children Catholic seriously is something you CAN guarantee. Here are three reminders that have been helpful to me in gaining perspective for teaching the faith to my own kids.” Kirby presents three tips, and how they look in her family, for her post this month for the CWBN Blog Hop. It leads a reader to wonder… are we, as parents, doing everything we can to conduct our mission of evangelization successfully?
“But we didn’t leave religion for school and Sundays! I minored in Theology at Georgetown and our family thrives on continued education, conversation, and debate. So we discussed the faith, explained it, answered questions. We owned and used a Catechism. We talked frequently about the importance of faith in daily life, and how our values should impact the way we live in the world. I chaired the Deanery Respect Life Committee and wrote for the Catholic press. John rose in the KOC ranks. Both of us served long terms on our parish council. And our kids heard about it all.” Leslie shares how her childhood experiences helped shape her approach to parenting, determined to set the tone of expectation early on in her children’s lives. She also acknowledges her children’s personal journeys are just beginning, but she hopes she has set them in good stead.
“The endeavor that is most important to me right now is helping to cultivate a love for God, family and the Catholic Church in my children. This has been a topic of interest for me for quite awhile actually. I am a cradle Catholic. Born and raised to go to Confession on Saturday afternoon, attend Mass on Sunday mornings and participate in Catechism classes and Youth groups as needed. That was the recipe to create a love for my Catholic faith. I am not knocking this recipe because obviously something went right.” Jessica highlights three major points for parents focusing on raising their children to love and choose their Catholic Faith. Adding a little personal history, Jessica shares how she is instilling Catholic values early in her own young family!
We hope you enjoyed reading these posts by our writers here at Everyday Ediths. As you can tell, our Catholic Faith binds us together, and the way we live it out in our daily lives is evident from these posts. If you are interested in reading more insights by other phenomenal Catholic bloggers, simply click over to Reconciled to You and check out what others have to say about “Keeping Our Kids Catholic.”
Let us know in the comments – how are you working to keep your kids Catholic, how did you keep your kids Catholic, or how do you hope to keep your kids Catholic? Even if you don’t have children, what tips or ideas would you have for those of us with physical children? As always, we love to hear from our readers!
Everyday Ediths 
Something my bf and I have talked about is how religious ed is super important and necessary, however, kids still need to encounter Jesus themselves. Religious education gives you the facts and one thing I try to stress to people is that going to Church and classes doesn’t make you Catholic. It’s the belief in your heart. You can learn the Sacraments and church history but it can mean nothing to your kid. Part of what needs to be implemented in learning how to find Jesus in life. But even still… We can’t force kids to encounter Christ. That has to happen when it does.
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Yes!! I agree 100%! I firmly believe it is my job as a parent to maximize exposure for an encounter, but God reveals Himself to all in His time… so, even if I am doing everything to maximize chances of them meeting, if they don’t, I will have to resign myself in the peace of knowing/believing that it will happen. On God’s terms. Not mine.
Thanks for sharing your guys’ conversation – because I tend to agree! 🤗
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