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Parenting Resources

Deepening Your Relationship With God At Home

Parents are the guides of their children’s lives. In each home, children grow and immerse themselves in specific values. Behind every gesture, behavior or action, there is a family that has set examples or expectations, either for better or for worse.

The modern family is subject to many pressures and cultural changes. Parents and guardians are responsible for much beyond the care and education of their children. Parents may sometimes feel disoriented, stressed by socioeconomic factors or may manage with few emotional and spiritual resources to address the complex situations in which they live. Families deserve accompaniment, support and training to aid in their children’s holistic development.

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A child with closed eyes and hands clasped in prayer is seated between two adults with clasped hands, focusing on an open book.

Called to be Different!

Most contemporary families experience a high level of distress, and many are in crisis. School, church, work, social media, organized youth sports, and friendships all have legitimate claims on the time and presence of families. Combined with the negative impact of consumerism, drugs, pornography, income inequality, systemic racism and other realities, many families find it difficult to develop habits and practices that lead to healthy spiritual and religious lives. Catholic families are not immune to these daily pressures and challenges, and many find it difficult to even schedule regular family meals. Catholic families are called to be different!

Dr. Gregory and Lisa Popcak are authors, radio and podcast personalities and Co-Executive Directors of The Peyton Family Institute for Domestic Church Life. Greg is also a Certified Psychotherapist and is the Founder of Pastoral Solutions Institute which strives to create more intimate and godly marriages that celebrate faithful and fulfilling family lives. They offer a Facebook group called Catholic HŌM–Family Discipleship to explore similar topics in marriage, parenting and family life.

Book cover with a person's hands holding a baby's feet in the background. A colorful title reads "Then Comes Baby," followed by the subtitle, "The Catholic Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the First Three Years of Parenthood."

“Then Comes Baby”

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Two books titled "Parenting Your Kids with Grace" and "Parenting Your Teens and Tweens with Grace" are stacked on a light-colored surface. The covers feature photos of diverse people and the titles are in bold text. In the background, green leaves and yellow lemons are visible.

“Parenting your Kids with Grace”

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A child wearing a white dress and a flower crown stands in a field of yellow flowers, arms outstretched. Text above reads "Beyond The Birds and The Bees: Raising Sexually Whole and Holy Kids."

“Beyond the birds and the bees”

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Two white coffee cups on saucers sit side by side on a wooden table, with a soft, blurred background suggesting a cozy atmosphere. The focus is on the cups, which convey a theme of conversation or connection.

“Having Meaningful Conversations”

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Strengthening Family Life

Many parents need support, encouragement, and solid resources in order to unite and live a joyful and rich Catholic family life. The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life, a division of Holy Cross Family Ministries, examines the best ways to strengthen families as the basic cell of Church and society. This is one of our office’s favorite resources and their research helps to better understand and meet the spiritual needs of the 21st century family. The Peyton Institute collaborates with meany researchers and theologians to develop effective models of family prayer and spirituality for church leaders and families.

Browse their resource library for great videos on a variety of topics relating to faith and family.

The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life

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Enkindle Catholic

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Merciful Discipline

Is there such a thing as “Catholic discipline?” The short answer is Catholics parents should first and foremost look to Jesus as their model in terms of setting expectations, priorities and boundaries with their children.

 

For the writers and editors at Orange County Catholic, love, prayer and family unity are key. Read more at Discipline in the Catholic Family.

 

Four Tips for Effective Discipline from Catholic Counselors.

The image shows a book cover with text reading "Discipleship Parenting" and "Planting the Seeds of Faith" on colored bands of green, red, and orange. A small leafy branch is illustrated at the top.

“Discipleship Parenting”

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The book cover features the word "Discipline" in colorful letters, with a silhouette of an adult kneeling and a child standing face to face inside a blue circle. Subtitles mention a whole-brain approach to nurturing a child's mind.

“No-drama Discipline”

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  • Director: John Prust
  • Associate Director: Janelle Peregoy
  • Associate Director: Wendy Baez
  • Administrative Assistant: Vivian Toscano

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About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pulido’s coat of arms is divided into four quarters with wavy horizontal lines from top to bottom. The blue and white lines represent the Blessed Virgin Mary. They also suggest water, which alludes to Jesus washing the feet of His disciples and to the waters of baptism. The red and gold lines represent the Holy Spirit and fire. The colors also can be seen as referring to the Blood that (along with water) poured from Jesus’ side at His crucifixion, as well as to the bread (gold) and wine (red) transformed into the Eucharist. At the center is a roundel featuring a symbolic representation of the “mandatum” (washing of the feet), which he believes exemplifies service to all humanity. The roundel’s outer edge is a line composed of small humps; it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Diocese of Yakima, where Bishop Pulido served as a priest before being named a bishop.

About the Coat of Arms

Bishop Pham’s coat of arms depicts a red boat on a blue ocean, which is crisscrossed by diagonal lines suggesting a fisherman’s net. This symbolizes his ministry as a “fisher of men,” as well as how his own father had been a fisherman. The boat is also a symbol of the Church, which is often referred to as the “barque of Peter.” At the center of the sail is a red beehive (a symbol of the bishop’s baptismal patron saint, St. John Chrysostom, who was known as a “honey-tongued” preacher). The beehive is surrounded by two green palm branches (an ancient symbol of martyrdom; the bishop’s ancestors were among Vietnam’s first martyrs). The eight red tongues of fire around the boat are a symbol of the Holy Spirit and a representation of the diversity of ethnic and cultural communities. The red of the boat, the beehive and the tongues of fire allude to the blood of the martyrs.

About the Coat of Arms

The coat of arms combines symbols that reflect Bishop Bejarano’s spiritual life and priestly ministry. The main part of the shield shows four wavy vertical lines on a gold background. These represent flowing waters. This alludes to his chosen motto and also symbolizes the graces that come from the Divine life to quench our thirst for God. The upper third of the shield is red because it is borrowed from the coat of arms of the Order of Mercy, of which the Bishop’s patron saint, Raymond Nonnatus, was a member. The central symbol resembles a monstrance because St. Raymond is often depicted holding one. The Eucharist is Bishop Bejarano’s inspiration for his vocation. It was through the Eucharist that he received his call to the priesthood at age seven and which keeps his faith and his ministry going. It represents the call to offer oneself as a living sacrifice. The monstrance is flanked on either side by an image of the Sacred Heart, alluding to the mercy of God and echoing the idea of a sacrificial offering of oneself united to the sacrifice of Christ, and of a rose for Our Lady. It is an allusion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, and highlights the bishop’s Hispanic heritage.

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