Marriage and Family Life Commission : Home is a Holy Place - The Good Shepherd Parish 

‘Home is a Holy Place’ is the thought-provoking title of a venture set up by the Catholic bishops of England and Wales. It aims to raise our awareness and understanding of the innate holiness of everyday family life and to dispel the idea that holiness is confined to formal worship and religious observances. In our church, the programme is held over five consecutive weeks during which ‘Home is a Holy Place’ is discussed, debated and developed. On Sunday October 5th about forty people came together for the first of these meetings in the Good Shepherd Social Centre, Woodthorpe. The meeting was led by Fr John Sherrington, Parish Priest of Our Lady of Lourdes, Mickleover.

We began by talking, in small groups, about the families we had grown up in, our memories of that family life, and about the structure of our present families. Then, as a whole group, we shared some of the impressions and concerns we had of family life now and the forces which threaten to undermine it. These were wide-ranging and included the decline in moral values, the fall in church attendance amongst young people, peer group and media pressure on the young, the demise of family meals around the table, the erosion of the image of the traditional family, and the distances which often separate family members leading to less contact and closeness.

Next, again in small groups, we talked about our ideas of ‘home’ and what it meant to us. As before, the discussion was lively and we all seemed to have plenty to say on the subject! When we shared our thoughts as a whole group it was evident that ‘home’ evoked largely positive responses. It was described variously as a place of safety and security, a sanctuary, a hub of family life, a place where you are accepted unconditionally and can be yourself, a place of mess and hard work, but essentially a happy place.

Father John was keen to know why we had turned up that afternoon and what our hopes and expectations of the programme were. It was clear from our answers that people had quite differing ideas of what it might offer. Some hoped that it would help to nurture spirituality at home while others saw it as an opportunity to develop a closer parish community, a chance to learn from each other, to share problems and solutions, and as an aid in supporting and guiding youngsters within the family. At this point we could not help but express our disappointment that so many young parents, for whom this programme would be particularly valuable, had not taken up the (personal) invitation to attend.

We then watched a part of the Home is a Holy Place DVD which portrays the everyday life of several families, all quite different from each other, but displaying the bonds of love and warmth within each one. Archbishop Vincent Nicholls speaks simply and inspiringly about the holiness and grace which exists within every loving family trying to do their best in their daily lives; in other words the vital importance and value of the domestic church which is the church of the home.

We concluded our meeting with a prayer and a hymn. Over the next four weeks our discussions will be based on the following questions:
  

1. How do you and your family show love for one another?
2. What are the challenges in your family relationships ?
3. When are you most aware of God in your family experiences?
4. How can we nourish home as a holy place?

The meetings are held on Sunday afternoons from 3.30 pm to 5pm (tea and coffee are served from 3pm). Anyone is most welcome to join us at any of the meetings. For more information telephone Monica on 0115 9939235. You can read more by visiting www.homeisaholyplace.org.uk