Family Faith Resources

Raising kids is a challenge. Period. Raising them to have a relationship with God and embrace Catholic faith as their own in today's world? Even more of a challenge. Maybe you have a personal relationship with God yourself and a decent understanding of Catholic beliefs and maybe you don't. Maybe you were raised in home with lots of faith-filled traditions and maybe you weren't. In either case, translating faith into kid-friendly language and modern family life requires a lot of support.

To help you, the Diocese of Des Moines has begun building a collection of resources for parents. They include explanations of faith practices and beliefs as we as ideas for rituals and prayers that you can incorporate into your family life. You can do this! Grow your faith together!

At this time our resources primarily focus on the liturgical seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter.

Additional Parenting Resources

Parents are the primary educators and catechists of their children, and the Catholic community rooted in the parish is here to assist parents in this vital mission. For resources that can assist families in faith and character formation, please check out the links below:

http://www.vibrantfaithathome.org
https://homefaith.wordpress.com/
https://www.familiesofcharacter.com/
https://www.twl4parents.com/
http://www.respect4u.com/

"By virtue of their ministry of educating, parents are, through the witness of their lives, the first heralds of the Gospel for their children. Furthermore, by praying with their children, by reading the word of God with them and by introducing them through Christian initiation into the Body of Christ-both the Eucharistic and the ecclesial Body - they become fully parents, in that they are begetters not only of bodily life but also of the life that through the Spirit's renewal flows from the Cross and Resurrection of Christ."
- On the Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World, #39

Is there a topic you need help with or a resource you'd like to see developed? Contact John Gaffney at jgaffney@dmdiocese.org or Adam Storey at astorey@dmdiocese.org.