Gentle Catholic Parenting

10/23/2025

From the Dominicans, this is a concise yet comprehensive history of the origins of Halloween. Of course Halloween is "All Hallows Eve", the eve before All Saints Day, but there are many nuances - and very Catholic. Customs from Ireland, France, and England merged in American culture. I found the video interesting!

Halloween is a uniquely American holiday, and Catholics understandably approach its traditions with mixed emotions. However, one may not realize that the ori...

10/22/2025

"We must create a climate of wonder! This task is closest to the family…Wonder is needed so that beauty might enter into human life, society and the nation. We need to marvel at everything that is found in man...Without wonder, men and women would lapse into deadening routine and little by little would become incapable of a life which is genuinely personal." -Pope John Paul II

He believed that families in particular needed to foster the ability to wonder at the beauty of God's marvelous creation.

10/21/2025

Tomorrow is the Feast of St. John Paul II. During his pontificate, he frequently reminded us how important it is to sit in silence during prayer - not to be always talking AT God, but to silently listen to God, too. If we're always talking, we can't discern God's voice.

So during our family prayer, we can teach our children the gift of silence, through which their spiritual ears can be trained to recognize the difference between God's will and their own impulses. We want them to understand that sometimes God reveals himself in unexpected ways, often in a quiet whisper rather than a roaring wind.

10/20/2025

We want our children to know that practicing prudence includes developing a sense for who they can trust for reliable advice. A troubling trend: Many children are coming to depend on social media influencers to answer the most important questions they will ever ask: Who am I? Why am here? What is my purpose in life? We want to make it easy for our kids to depend on us to help them find answers to such questions.

10/17/2025

10/06/2025

Needed this reminder today!

10/03/2025

Sometimes God blesses us in big, blowout ways. But he also blesses us in the ordinary moments of daily living - little hugs to remind us of his love and care.