Welcome to the Parents Page!
Our aim is to create a hub where we can recommend websites, books, articles, videos and podcasts to enrich you and support you in your primary role of parent.
Certainly, being a parent is no easy task and there is no one “right” approach to parenting! We hope that some of the wisdom you discover here will provide some inspiration to you in your role as a Christian parent.
Featured Music
Family Resources
CathFamily
CathFamily is a brilliant Australian Website, with the aim of “making the home the heart of the church” and is run by the Australian Marriage Resource Centre. This video introduces the resource. CathFamily has a number of free resources, although you do need to sign up for a free subscription to access some of the material. Our family, in particular, find the “browse by season” section great for creative ideas for marking different moments throughout the year. There is also a section dedicated to children.
CatholicYouthWork
CatholicYouthWork is owned and run by Salesian Link, the Office of Social Media and Communications for the Salesians of Don Bosco in Great Britain. Their website is aimed for those working with young people, but it offers a wide range of resources for Young Catholics in England and parents may wish to look through the resources on offer
Focus on the Family
This is a wonderful resource, offering articles and inspiration to all Catholic Families. It is a ministry dedicated to making families thrive, by building healthy marriages and supporting parenting. The website has sections on marriage, parenting, faith and culture.
Loyola Press Family Pages
The Loyola Press website offers a number of sections on family life, with articles to encourage and inspire
Featured Family Book
The Catechism of the Seven Sacraments
This is an amazing book, using Lego to explain the Catholic Faith. It took two years to produce by Mary and Kevin O’Neill and their family, It is pretty pricey in the UK, but is also available in kindle form. Set in a vivid comic book format, its aim is to make big concepts accessible to both children and adults.
Book recommendations
Catholic Prayer Journals for Tweens/Teens
There are a number of great prayer journals available for those children who may benefit from a personal opportunity to write and put their thoughts to paper. Here, we recommend just two – one for boys and one for girls – that you might like to look into. The aim of these is to provide your child with the opportunity for self-reflection and to deepen their faith at the same time
Max Lucado Books
This Christian author has written so many uplifting stories that draw children into some of the essential themes of faith – forgiveness, self-worth, trusting in God, to just name a few. Two of his most famous titles are “You are Special” and “The Oak inside the Acorn” – some beautiful reads to enjoy with kids. He has also written a number of books for adults too.
Good Pictures, Bad Pictures
Another recommendation for those who wish to talk to their child about internet safety. Best read first, before reading it together with your child.
God has a Plan for Boys and for Girls
This book is part of a series, aimed at 4-7 year olds, to teach them the basics of the theology of the body, about the complementarity of the sexes and what our bodies mean.
Gospel Time Trekkers – Shepherds to the Rescue!
This easy to read book (for 6-9 year olds) takes the reader on a journey to retrace the birth of Jesus, accompanied by three modern-day siblings. A fun adventure and part of a series.
Bibles
We also have a page recommending bibles (for very young children, all the way to teens and adults) which you may find of interest.
Prayer Booklets
Magnifikid
A missalette designed especially for children between the ages of 6 and 12. It helps children follow the Sunday Liturgy – There is a free sample to look through, with subscriptions available
Living Faith Kids
Living Faith Kids is published quarterly and provides daily reflections based on a Scripture passage from Mass. This booklet helps children pray with the seasons of the Church year and thereby grow in relationship with Christ and his Church. Their website will tell you a bit more about the booklet and it is available to purchase from the following Redemptorist website
A Moment of Prayer
Take a few minutes for some quiet prayer time.
Let the video guide you.
Lord,
Give me the strength I need to parent well
Give me the grace I need to parent with compassion
Give me the wisdom I need to parent with humility
Give the space I need to refresh my body and soul
Give me the faith I need to love as you love
Give me the hope i need to take the next step
Amen
Do also remember we have a youth portal, specifically aimed at the teens and young adults of our parish.
And, during Lent, we have also put together specific resources for families for the current season
