"The ordinary lives of ordinary families are filled with the extraordinary. The sacred is just around the corner. It is in family intimacy, first of all in our families, and in our friendships, that God is present and active. Woven in and out of the ordinary lives we share are the countless vine-like roots of the divine mystery." (Mitch & Kathy Finley)

THE DOMESTIC CHURCH - THE CHURCH OF THE HOME
All families are holy in and of themselves. Household life is holy because God is just as present in our home as at Church. We are holy as a family because we are a sign to one another of God's love and creation. We can grow in holiness as a family when we intentionally seek God's gracious presence in our lives and see ourselves as the domestic church, the Church of the Home. But it;s important to remember we are church in a family way, which will express itself differently than the parish or diocesan church.
 

• We believe in God and that God cares about us.
• We love and never give up believing the value of another person.
• We foster intimacy, beginning with the physical and spiritual union of spouses in marriage and extending in appropriate ways to the whole family.
• We evangelize by professing faith in God, acting in accord with Gospel values, and setting an example of Christian living for each other and for others beyond our household setting.
• We educate. As the primary Christian community we impart knowledge of the faith and help each other to acquire values necessary for Christian living.
• We pray together, thanking God for blessings, reaching for strength, asking for guidance in crisis and doubt.
• We serve one another, often sacrificing our own wants for the other's good.
• We forgive and seek reconciliation. Over and over we let go of hurts and grudges to make peace with one another.
• We celebrate life - birthdays and weddings, births and deaths, a first day of school and a graduation, rites of passage into adulthood, new jobs, old friends, family reunions, surprise visits, holy days and holidays.
• We welcome the stranger, the lonely one, the grieving person into our home.
• We act justly in our community when we treat others with respect, stand against discrimination and racism, and work to overcome hunger, poverty, homelessness, illiteracy.
• We affirm life as a precious gift of God.
• We raise up vocations to the priesthood and religious life as we encourage one another to listen for God's call and respond to God's grace.