Faith-Based New Year’s Resolutions

~ Happy (non-liturgical) New Year! Welcome to 2025. As we settle into this brand new year, my prayer for you is that you embrace this opportunity to create life-long habits that bring you into closer relationship with Christ. We as adults are fortunate to be able to create these habits for ourselves. It is our gift and responsibility to help our children form these habits.

One way to help our children form these habits is to make them something you do together as a family. Make this the year that your family grows together in faith. Check out some of these ideas for new ways to grow together. 

1. Attend Mass together each week. No matter where you are or what you are supposed to be doing, make it a point to attend Mass together as a family every weekend this year. If you are ever traveling and looking for a place to go, check out www.masstimes.org, or simply google “find a Catholic Mass near me”. Making it a point to go together will help children see how important it is to spend that time with Jesus and one another each week. 

2. What do you listen to together in the car? Consider finding a podcast to bring the whole family to Jesus. I highly recommend both Catholic Sprouts and Saint Stories for Kids. These podcast episodes are 5-7 minutes in length, making them a great resource to sneak into your daily life. 

3. Do you celebrate much together as a family? Birthdays and holidays are easy to work into the fold, but have you considered celebrating more? Baptism days and saint feast days are fun ways to make the celebrations last all year long! In my family, we get a small treat (ie, a cupcake) on our Baptism day. Choose 2-3 days of celebration to add to your calendar this year. 

4. When do you receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Our school children go once during Advent and once during Lent. Consider making it a practice to go as a family once every quarter. Fr. John offers Reconciliation every Saturday at 3:15. Follow up your confession experience with a celebration, enjoying a special dinner or activity together to recognize the joy of what you just experienced. 

5. Find a jar or special container that can hold slips of paper. Have each member of the family write down times when they see Jesus in their lives and collect them in the jar. At the end of the year, you will hopefully have a full jar of memories to look back on together. 

Above all, continue to pray with and for one another this year. I will be praying for you!
 

Throughout the year, we present an article in the bulletin each week on a variety of topics, written by a member of our Parish staff or ministries on a rotating basis.