Raising saints may sound like a monumental task — something best left to the Annes and Joachims of the world, for whom holiness seems to come easily.
But in fact, the task of raising up saints is set before every ordinary Catholic parent and grandparent. Actually, it’s set before every Catholic who has the opportunity to love and influence a child.
And as daunting as it might seem, it’s “not as hard as you think,” said Sr. Augusta Nickel, O.P., of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecelia, an order based in Nashville. “You have the tools spiritually; they were all given to you at Baptism. You really can’t mess up as long as you keep trying.”
Sr. Augusta and fellow Dominican Sr. Peter Marie, O.P., will share this message with area Catholic parents and grandparents at two upcoming talks sponsored by the Office for Evangelization and Catechesis of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
“Raising Saints in the Modern World” will be held from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16, at St. Mary, 9520 W. Forest Home Ave. in Hales Corners, and from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, at Lumen Christi, 2750 W. Mequon Road in Mequon. Both evenings are free and open to the public.
The presentation will focus mainly on the importance of cultivating a culture of prayer within the home. Sr. Augusta said that her main goal is for parents and grandparents who attend the talks to feel “massive encouragement” in their capability to model this prayerful discipleship.
“We as adults, parents, grandparents, catechists, teachers, anyone who has the opportunity to witness to a child — we are the bridge to the supernatural world for them,” she said. But too many feel discouraged, not “holy enough” or intimidated by the task.
“We know that discouragement is one of the devil’s favorite tools, and it’s one of the easiest things he can sow in our hearts if we’re not on guard,” Sr. Augusta said.
What Sr. Augusta wants attendees of the talks to know is that each and every Catholic parent has what it takes.
“The Holy Spirit is the primary agent of all of our growth and faith and hope and love. As parents, you all are totally equipped by God to introduce your children to him,” she said. “That isn’t some extra set of skills that you just can’t quite master, or some course that you don’t have time to take. It comes simply from, in a real sense, just remembering that you are also a child of God, that you are known and loved by him, and that he’s very much at work in your own heart.”
The presentation will include practical tips and tools for parents and grandparents to bring prayer more frequently and more profoundly into their family life.
“Children are like sponges, as the saying goes, but the truth is that the faith really is something that is ‘caught’ rather than directly taught. So, an atmosphere that is imbued with faith will seep in in a way that is so beyond simply a sharing of words or lessons,” said Sr. Augusta.
The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia were founded in 1860, and as a religious community, have a charism for Catholic education. As teachers and catechists, said Sr. Augusta, they have personally witnessed the importance of faith being a priority in the child’s home environment.
“Children, for the most part, are very open. And if you present to them the truth of the faith, they love it,” said Sr. Augusta, who currently works as a director of religious education in a parish setting. “But the growing trend where there are so many competing voices in their lives and so many competing priorities in the life of their families … what we were noticing more and more was that while children might be drawn to the beauty of a faith, if they went home and it was simply not supported or possibly even antagonized, criticized, downplayed or just ignored, you watch that little spark of faith begin to kind of wither or at least suffer.”
Doug Ulaszek, Associate Director of Evangelization and Catechesis, Adult and Family, for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, said incorporating meaningful prayer time into the family routine is often a challenge even for observant Catholic families.
“A lot of us didn’t grow up with a strong culture of prayer in the home. We went to Mass, maybe we said meal blessings, but having a nightly routine of prayer is just not something that I and a lot of my friends grew up with,” said Ulaszek. “So, as we’re trying to raise our kids in the faith, we don’t really have anything to look back on.”
His hope is that parents who come to the talk will feel empowered to start the habit of family prayer, and that grandparents will also learn some ways they can create a culture of prayer within their own home to which their grandchildren can then be exposed.
“The sisters will be able to help us learn how to start that habit of prayer and that culture of prayer in our own homes for our kids. And for those that already have that culture of prayer — because I know a lot of families do — (they will show) some ways they can deepen it or take the next step,” he said.
