Please help me bring my kids up catholic

[mollysmum82]

I just thought I'd write this on the back of the other thread. I'm a fairly 'new' catholic, having just completed the Rcia and my family who are practising Catholics live some distance away. Dh was happy to have dcs baptised but is a non believer so I feel a bit on my own. Does anyone have any tips about prayers I could do/ books I could read or anything else to gently teach my children about the catholic faith? Thanks so much

Lots of Catholic tat kitch about the place.
Guardian angel prayer every night, and a little pic by their beds.
Pop into the church when you pass, to say Hi to Jesus in the tabernacle.
Find a Mass which the kids can cope with, and always do ice creams afterwards.

But mainly, pray.

Obviously don't forget all the stuff any Christian would do like keeping the seasons, Bible stories, teaching the prayers, talking about God etc. The 'Catholic' bits make no sense alone

Teach them that terrifying prayer, which I never remember, but says something about not waking in the morning and everyone they know dying - that should do it - and spend the rest of their lives feeling guilty - happy children? Happy adults? Never met one yet

My dad was taught that as an RC child he should sleep on his back with his arms crossed over his chest in case he died in the night.

They need a number of satues and at least a cross each, and rosary beads.

They can sleep how they want and plenty of us are happy adults thank you.

How old are your little ones?

I brought mine up with a Hail Mary at night, and obviously Mass on Sunday, even if you're on holiday. We have lots of religious tat kitsch They each have their patron saint icon in their room and they all have rosaries. I've never read them Bible stories or anything though.

Another thought- always watch Urbi et Orbi, the Pope's message at Christmas and Easter. My nonna used to make us kneel down and bless ourselves!

Catholicism is great There's lots of different prayers for different things, little icons, beads, saints cards all that kind of thing. It's a very visual thing, which appeals to children. My children have their own rosary beads - you don't need to say the rosary on them, but can just hold them whilst they're in bed at night saying a prayer. They have a little colourful cross on the wall by their bed and we light candles in the lounge.

Try to get to a shop attached to a larger church or Catholic Cathedral (or go online), and get them a childs' prayer book and Bible.

Above all, be consistent and try to teach them what Christ taught all of us - to love God and one another

From the other thread I think your children are quite little?
Some things I did when mine were very little were:
Going to Mass, Children's Liturgy
Making a "seasons table" at home that celebrated the seasons (conkers at this time of year, catkins in early spring etc.) but also integrating church seasons
(Lent, Advent, Easter, Christmas), pentecost, the various saints days, all saints day, etc. It was a little table that stood on our landing and was regularly redecorated.
Prayers at night.
Stories about the saints.
Made my own advent calendar - it was based on one with pockets for putting gifts in, but I used to (and still do) fill it with stories, pictures to colour, later poems and puzzles, that took the dc on a themed journey through advent, some years it was based around the journey of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, sometimes other themes - but using these as a way to teach things (it is hard
work though).
Advent wreath at home.
When doing pancakes for shrove Tuesday (or whatever), putting it into context, explaining about Lent (or whatever).
Popping into a church when passing.
Encouraging them to feel part of a parish family, getting to know other people in the parish, actually especially the older ones.

Hope that helps...

Just reread what I wrote and realised the last bit was ambiguous, I meant especially getting to know the older people in the parish - I think it helps
if the children feel part of the whole parish family, not just part of the children's group.