Celebrating Family - HOME IS A HOLY PLACE
Home is a Holy Place is an initiative of the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales.
They want to raise greater awareness and understanding among both laity and clergy of the holiness of family life.
Excellent resources are now available which describe three ways in which it is hoped that you can see that your home is holy:
1. Home is a holy place because God is present there as love.
2. Home is a holy place because relationships within the family reflect God’s relationship with us.
3. Home is a holy place because God’s presence graces all creation
They also address some of the challenges that face all of us in becoming more aware of family holiness:
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To help families recognise the holiness of their everyday lives at home and to offer practical support for them to grow in this awareness.
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To celebrate the presence of God as love in all loving family relationships.
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To proclaim the holiness of our homes as places of life, love, service, teaching, fellowship, witness and prayer.
Some examples of the material in the Resource Pack: (All downloads open in new window)
What Does Home Mean To You? (pdf 150kb)
How Do You and Your Family Show Love For One Another? (pdf 150kb)
What Are The Challenges in Your Family Relationships? (pdf 130kb)When Are You Most Aware of God in Your Family Experiences? (pdf 120kb)
Further information can be obtained from the website: www.homeisaholyplace.org.uk
Deacon Peter Lavery & his wife Pauline (diocesan co-ordinators for Marriage and Family Life) have a generous supply of these resource packs together with accompanying DVDs, which feature several families from our own diocese.
These materials form an excellent resource for parish, school or community use.
Preliminary contact has already been made with various interested groups, such as:
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Diocesan Education Service
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Primary School RE Co-ordinators.
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School Chaplains
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Youth Ministry Team
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Ushaw College
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Diocesan Evangelisation Team.
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Various parishes
Peter & Pauline would be delighted to receive an invitation from any parish or group to deliver these resources and demonstrate ways in which they could be effectively used.
Alternatively, they will forward the materials directly to you.
E-mail: laveryp@hotmail.com
Tel: 0191-4102530
The national project, "Everybody's Welcome" continues in 2008 with "Passing on the Faith".
National Project and Resources: