Building Your Domestic Church: Actions

Connect with a welcoming community

Families aren’t meant to be “lone rangers”. As Catholics, we are part of the larger “Family of Families” rooted in Christ. We stay connected to the larger family of faith by involving ourselves in its local embodiment: the parish. Ideally, you want to find a parish close enough to where you live to participate in activities during the week, such as bible studies and prayer groups, and not just on Sundays. Attending a parish in your own neighborhood is also a wonderful way to connect locally, to give back, to feel the heartbeat of your local community, and build friendships with people outside your normal social circles. If you are a newly married couple, consider planting roots in a parish where you and your spouse can begin a new chapter of your lives together.

Does the family have a mission statement?

Healthy and successful family life takes planning and intentionality. What matters to you and your family? What are you about as a family? Secular organizations and companies craft mission statements to help them remain focused on what’s most important to them. Why don’t families do the same? Here are some resources that may assist you and your family as you craft your own family mission statement.

• Catholic Education Resource Center: A family mission statement: Why and how to make one
• Teaching Catholic Kids: Creating a family mission statement
• Catholic Foundation of Central Florida: Creata family mission statement
• St. Jane Francis de Chantal: Create a family mission statement
• Create your personalized Family Mission Statement

Does the family volunteer for community organizations that serve the vulnerable and honor the dignity of life?

Here are a list of ways to get involved in serving the vulnerable and honoring the dignity of life:

• Participate in events related to 40 Days for Life, a peaceful pro-life campaign to end abortion through prayer and fasting: www.40daysforlife.com/en/
• Participate in the annual Walk for Life, a family-oriented annual event to celebrate life, honor human dignity of every person, and advocate for the unborn.
• Volunteer in one of our seventeen pregnancy resource centers and clinics throughout the diocese.
• Adopt a Senior.
• Volunteer with Catholic Charities San Diego: help with emergency food distribution, volunteer as a fresh food rescue driver, serve at a homeless shelter, or help welcome new refugee families in the U.S. through migrant shelters. Register through their volunteer portal at ccdsd.volunteerhub.com.
• Help bring hope and healing to women and children impacted by human trafficking by volunteering with Children of the Immaculate Heart.
• Donate Christmas cards to prison inmates or participate in a pen-pal program. Contact Robert Ehnow, Director of the Office for Life, Peace, and Justice to learn more: rehnow@sdcatholic.org.
• Work together as a family to care for creation. Click here for a list of suggestions.
• Consider joining a parish Creation Care Team to implement concrete proposals towards more sustainable and efficient use of God’s creation. Contact your parish to learn more.