Spirituality of ParentingCourse Level: Intermediate

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Course Summary

Spirituality of Parenting is designed to introduce parents to a parenthood experience that is deeply Catholic. This course will reflect on how our Catholic faith can and should inform our parenting decisions and overall family dynamic as we seek to create the "domestic church" in our homes, families and hearts.

Successful completion of this course earns 2.5 CEU's. Click here for more information about CEU's.

General Course Objectives

  • Understand that parents are partners with God in their efforts to raise their children
  • Explore how the Catholic faith can have an impact on parenting choices and the overall family dynamic
  • Explain how Sacred Scripture, Catholic teachings and traditions offer guidance and support for faith-filled parents
  • Develop a deeper relationship with God, spouse and children as a result of course content

Course Materials

  • Required Book: Popcak, Gregory and Lisa Popcak Parenting with Grace: The Catholic Parents’ Guide to Raising Almost Perfect Kids 2nd Ed. Our Sunday Visitor Publishing: Huntington, IN, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-59276-685-7

Course Structure and Highlights

  • Week 1: What Does Being Catholic Have to Do With Parenting?
    • Explore the mission of the Catholic parent
    • Explain the seven factors that make Catholic parents unique
    • Explore "self-donative parenting"
    • Explain the concept of the "domestic church"
    • Understand what "attachment parenting" is
  • Week 2: Raising "Perfect Kids"
    • Explore what it means to love perfectly
    • Understand the parent-child rapport ratio
    • Evaluate your own and children's relational style
  • Week 3: Discipline the Catholic Way
    • Explain self-donative discipline
    • Use the acronyms "F.A.M.I.L.Y" and “C.A.R.E.” to recall the principles of self-donative discipline
    • Explore the possibility and potential of creating a family identity statement
    • Understand the difference between everyday discipline and corrective discipline
  • Week 4: Fostering Faith and Stewardship
    • Identify ways to foster the domestic church and encourage the faith journey of children
    • Explain how stewardship is involved in daily family life
    • Identify the three pillars of stewardship
  • Week 5: Moms, Dads and Marriages
    • Deepen understanding of the roles of mother and father
    • Explain the importance of creating and maintaining a self-donative marriage
    • Understand how modelling Christian behavior fosters vocations