Summer is typically a time filled with rest, relaxation, and new adventures but it can also be a great time to nurture and grow deeper in your faith, especially as a family. 

Embrace the summer months as a season of grace and thanksgiving. 

1. Go on a Family Rosary Walk. 

Take the whole family outside and pray the Rosary. Walk around your neighborhood, a local park, or even the beach. Have each child, teen or parent (or grandparent) say a Hail Mary or decade of the Rosary (if they feel confident) along the walk. This is a great way to get some exercise and praying together. 

2. Start a “Saint of the Week” Tradition. 

Each week, choose a specific saint and learn about them. There are different ways to teach your family about the saints — through reading stories, visiting a spiritual site, or watching an educational program detailing their life stories. 

 3. Create a Gratitude Jar. 

Each day, or even week, individually write down things to be thankful for (it can be something small). At the end of the summer season, read the gratitude notes out loud for everyone to hear. This activity serves as a reminder to give thanks to God in a simple way. 

4. Keep a Summer Faith Journal.

Write, reflect or even draw about personal faith experiences. Like the gratitude jar, share the journals as a family at the end of the summer. 

5. Host a Vacation Bible School at Home. 

Pick a morning during the week and set aside time to read or watch fun Bible stories, sing songs, do arts and crafts projects, or eat fun snacks. This is a creative and interactive way to bring “VBS” to your domestic church. As St. John Chrysostom said, “Indeed a house is a little church.”  

Summertime is the perfect time to grow in the Catholic faith in creative and meaningful ways. 

Incorporating small practices will keep the faith growing during busy seasons. 

Over these warm-weather days, remember to slow down, deepen your faith, and prioritize the things that will draw your family closer to Christ. 

As Pope Leo recently reminded the faithful, “In the family, faith is handed on together with life, generation after generation. It is shared like food at the family table and like the love in our hearts. In this way, families become privileged places in which to encounter Jesus, who loves us and desires our good, always.”