Welcome to Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church
Mission Statement
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church is a house of spiritual revolution—where faith is ignited, lives are transformed, and disciples are sent on mission. Rooted in the Eucharist and guided by the Holy Spirit, we move from maintenance to mission, keeping Christ and His saving work the center of all we do. With hearts on fire, we proclaim the Gospel, form saints, and renew the world in His love.
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One of the greatest—and often unintentional—mistakes parents make is practicing the faith inconsistently. Children are not shaped primarily by what we say we believe, but by what we live repeatedly. When faith becomes occasional, seasonal, or optional, children learn a silent but powerful lesson: God is important… but not essential.
Scripture is clear: “Train the child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6). Formation happens through consistency, not intensity. A strong faith cannot be built on sporadic practices.
Why inconsistency damages faith
Children are keen observers. When Mass is skipped for sports, sleep, or convenience, when prayer disappears during busy weeks, when God-talk is absent at home, children conclude that faith is negotiable. Over time, this weakens not just their relationship with God, but the faith of future generations. What is not lived at home is rarely carried into adulthood.
The Catechism reminds us:
“Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children… They bear witness to this responsibility first by creating a home where tenderness, forgiveness, respect, fidelity, and disinterested service are the rule” (CCC 2223).
A home without consistent faith practice struggles to pass on living faith.
Practical ways to live faith consistently
1. Sunday Mass is non-negotiable
Make Sunday truly the Lord’s Day. Arrange schedules around Mass, not Mass around schedules. Children must see that worship is a priority, not an option. When parents go faithfully—even when tired—children learn commitment.
2. Pray as a family, even briefly
You don’t need long, complicated prayers. What matters is regularity.
• Night prayer before bed
• Grace before meals
• A decade of the Rosary once or twice a week
Five faithful minutes daily form hearts more than an hour once a month.
3. Learn the Catechism—15 minutes a week
Just 15 minutes a week reading and discussing the Catechism or a child-friendly faith book builds clarity and confidence. Faith that is not understood is easily lost. Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32).
4. Talk about God in everyday life
Connect faith to real life: gratitude, struggles, decisions, forgiveness. Let children hear how God matters in daily choices. Faith must be caught as much as it is taught.
5. Be authentic, not perfect
Children don’t need flawless parents; they need faithful ones. Admit failures, ask forgiveness, return to prayer. Consistency is not perfection—it is returning to God again and again.
A generational responsibility
What parents practice consistently today will shape the Church, families, and society tomorrow. Inconsistent faith produces fragile disciples. Faithful, steady practice produces men and women rooted in Christ.
Choose consistency. Choose faith lived at home. Choose to hand on a faith strong enough to last for generations.
Every child is born wrapped in promise because every child is first a son or daughter of God. Before a name is chosen, before talents appear, before dreams are spoken, God already knows the child’s destiny: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you” (Jeremiah 1:5). No child is an accident; each is a divine intention. God entrusts this sacred life to parents not as owners, but as stewards, collaborators in His creative and redemptive work.
Parenthood, then, is a holy vocation. God places children into families with a quiet expectation: help Me bring out what I have already placed within them. Parents are called to prepare the soil so that the seeds God has planted can grow strong—faithful to God, loving within the family, and responsible citizens in society.
Practical ways parents collaborate with God
1. Anchor the child’s identity in God
Before children discover what they can do, they must know who they are. Teach them that they are loved unconditionally by God, redeemed by Christ, and guided by the Holy Spirit. Regular prayer, Scripture, and the Sacraments help children grow with a deep sense of belonging and purpose. A child who knows God knows their worth.
2. Create a faith-filled home
The home is the first church. Simple practices—praying together, blessing children, attending Mass faithfully, celebrating feast days—shape the soul quietly but powerfully. Faith is not taught primarily by words but by witness. Children believe in God when they see parents trust Him.
3. Nurture gifts, not comparisons
God creates children uniquely. Parents collaborate with Him by discovering and encouraging each child’s God-given talents—intellectual, artistic, spiritual, athletic, or relational—without forcing comparisons or unrealistic expectations. The goal is not success by the world’s standards, but faithfulness to God’s design.
4. Form character and virtue
Skills open doors, but character sustains a life. Teaching honesty, discipline, gratitude, respect, perseverance, and compassion forms children who can serve God and society well. Correct with love, discipline with purpose, and always explain why virtue matters. Virtue makes freedom possible.
5. Give children responsibilities and trust
God works through responsibility. Age-appropriate duties at home, service in the Church, and accountability in school teach children that they are needed and capable. Responsibility builds confidence and prepares them to contribute meaningfully to family, Church, and nation.
6. Encourage service beyond self
Children grow when they learn that life is not just about personal achievement but about love and service. Involving them in acts of charity, parish life, and care for others forms hearts aligned with the Kingdom of God and builds compassionate citizens.
7. Speak hope into their future
Parents’ words shape a child’s inner voice. Speak blessing, not fear. Hope, not pressure. Remind children often: God has a plan for you, and we are here to help you discover it. Trust God more than your anxieties.
A sacred partnership
When parents collaborate with God, children flourish—not as perfect individuals, but as faith-filled, grounded, generous people. Such children bless the Church, strengthen families, and enrich our nation. Raising children is not about control, but about cooperation with grace.
God supplies the vision. Parents provide love, guidance, and opportunity. Together, they help children become all that God has dreamed them to be—for His glory, for the good of the family, and for the hope of the world.
Dr. Mary McDonald and Maureen Yarborough, hosts of the Make it Make Sense podcast, are our guest speakers at the Women’s Guild meeting this morning!
