Resources to support families

Please see below a selection of  Books, Websites and Prayers to support families.

Books:

Good Books For Catholic Kids (https://goodbooksforcatholickids.com/); wholesome and enjoyable book suggestions for all ages.

Raising Catholic Children by Mary Ann Kuharski

Buy on Amazon

 

 The Catholic Family Handbook: Time-tested Techniques to Help You Strengthen Your Marriage and Raise Good Kids by Fr Lovasik

Buy on Amazon

Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-Proofing Today’s Young Kids by Kristen A. Jenson (Author), Debbie Fox (Illustrator)

Buy on Amazon

Wonderfully Made! Babies: A Catholic Perspective on How and Why God Makes Babies (for ages 9 and up)

Buy on Amazon

The Good, the Messy and the Beautiful: The Joys and Struggles of Real Married Life by Edward Sri (Author), Beth Sri

Buy on Amazon

 

 

Websites:

 

Pray with your children:

Start as early as you can when they are young. Keep it short and simple, but regular!
Even if they don’t seem to pay attention or to appreciate it, nothing of what you do as a parent is lost, even little counts and contributes to building up your child’s faith. Studies show that parents are the most powerful influence in passing on the faith to their children, they are a stronger than friends, relatives or schools.
By seeing you pray, your children will also learn to pray.

Choose from these ideas to creat a habit. Keep it short and simple, but regular.

  • Take your children to Mass every Sunday and on Holy Days of obligation from a young age and prepare them for Holy Communion by saying “Come Lord Jesus, there is a place for you in my heart.”
  • After Mass, stay a few minutes to thank Jesus for coming to their soul in Holy Communion.
  • Take them to confession regularly, make it happy occasion. Go regularly yourself.
  • Say night prayers with your children, one by one or altogether
  • Make the sign of the cross on your childen forehead before they go to sleep.
  • When passing a church pop-in with your child to visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Keep it short.
  • Say the rosary (or a decade) as a family, especially on feasts of Our Lady.
  • Encourage your child to thank Jesus when they receive a gift, when something good happens and at family celebrations.
  • Teach them to offer the small difficulties or upsets of the day to Jesus.
  • Teach them to pray to their guardian angel every day and to ask their angel for help in ordinary things.
  • Teach them to say a prayer for people who are suffering when they see and hear things in the new news, or when an ambulance goes by.
  • When somebody sneezes, teach them to say “God bless you!”

Other things you can do:

  • Celebrate Church feast days
  • Mark their saints’ day with a special meal or sweets.
  • Place a picture or a crucifix in their bedrooms, as a reminder of God’s presence in their lives.
  • Tie a liturgically coloured ribbon around a vase of flowers to mark Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and saints days.
  • Sing a short hym or prayer that is easy to remember.

 

How to Say Night Prayers with your children:

Kneel down beside the bed, make the sign of the cross and say:
In the Name of the Faither, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

Pray the Our Father:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed by thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread
and forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us
and lead us not into tempatation
but deliver us from evil
Amen

Pray the Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee
Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinner,
Now and at the hour of our death.
Amen

Pray the Glory Be
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen

Pray the Guardian Angel prayer
Angel of God, my guardian dear.
To whom God’s love commits me here.
Ever this night (or day) be at my side
To light, the guard to rule and guide.
Amen.

Then pray for all the members of the family and for other intentions:

God bless mummy, God bless, daddy, God bless Jimmy, God bless Grandma….thang you God for a good day today. Sorry that I got angry at my brother…etc

Finally end by making the sign of the cross on your child’s forehead and saying “May Almighty God bless you”, and kiss them good night.

Selection of Other Prayers:
Thanksgiving
Thank you Jesus for today, thank you for…

Asking
Pray for someone in need or ask for something
Dear Jesus look after…. and help me to love you more and to..

Saying sorry
Say sorry for the bad things done in the day
Forgive me Jesus for.. , help me to try again and always please you, I am sorry for not doing what you wanted me to do…

From the heart
Say a personal prayer to Jesus.
Dear Jesus I love you and want to stay close to you
Make me love you more and more.

In the morning
Give the day to God by making a morning offering:
Dear Jesus I give you my day, keep me safe and close to you,
or
Dear God, now that I start my day I offer you my heart and pray, guide me in everything I do, and keep my always close to you
or
O Jesus, through the most pure heart of Mary, I offer you all my prayers, works, sufferings and joys of this day for all the intensions of thy immaculate heart. Amen.
or
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul.

Grace before meals
Bless us oh Lord and these thy gifts which we are about to recieve from thy bounty. Please grant to all those who go hungry and have nothing. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Grace after meals
We give you thanks, almighty God, for all your benefits.
who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.

For older children
As they get older, teach them to examine their conscience and look back over the day.
How have I made God happy this day?
How have I made God unhappy this day?
What could I have done better?

Act of Contrition
O my God, because you are so good, I am very sorry that I have sinned against you, and by the help oif your grace, I will not sin again. Amen.