“In our world today, the role of fatherhood has become less clear. Some even question whether fathers are necessary at all. With five kids, I’ve been wondering recently if I do enough — or, more accurately: Am I raising my children correctly?” blogged Matthew Archbold at NCRegister.com on Aug. 30, in a post titled “This Quote From St. John Paul II Is a Must-Read for Every Father.”

“I recently read this quote from St. John Paul II about how his father, in part, inspired him to heed his vocation to the priesthood. He reportedly said: ‘Day after day, I was able to observe the austere way in which he lived. By profession, he was a soldier, and, after my mother’s death, his life became one of constant prayer. Sometimes I would wake up during the night and find my father on his knees, just as I would always see him kneeling in the parish church. We never spoke about a vocation to the priesthood, but his example was, in a way, my first seminary, a kind of domestic seminary.’”

“I love that. A domestic seminary. Sometimes I see my role as father as the enforcer, the protector, but I should never forget to be the example,” Archbold wrote. “Let’s face it: Kids learn so much about the world through watching their parents. What we value they learn to value. What we fail to prioritize will be downplayed in their minds. Sometimes the best thing any parent can do is to simply live out the faith. … With fathers, there’s something about seeing the most powerful force in your life — the man who provides and protects — take to his knees to pray every day. It tells you all you need to know.”