Tips for experiencing the Catholic faith in unique (and fun!) ways.

This page, updated regularly, gives you simple ways to incorporate the Catholic faith and Jesus into your life. We’d love to hear you ideas, too! If you’ve found gratifying ways to live a more fulfilled life based on faith e-mail us.

Bringing The Church Into Your Home

Families with young children sometimes have a hard time “simplifying” spirituality for their kids. Learning about the Catholic faith doesn’t have to start and stop with knowing the story of Christ. Putting faith in tangible terms is sometimes the best way to explain the good feeling you get when you have a close relationship with God. Here are a couple ways you can do that:

1. Create stained glass with your kids

• Cut irregular shapes into heavy black tagboard. Leave a half-inch space on all sides between all cut-outs.
• Then, cut a slightly larger piece of colored tissue paper to cover each cut-out space – use as many colors as possible for the greatest effect.
• Glue the pieces of colored tissue in place. You can even overlap two different colors of tissue paper to create a new color – red and yellow, for instance, to make orange.
• Now, hang it from a window and enjoy God’s light shining through!

2. Involve the whole family in building a nativity scene

• First, decorate the inside of a shoebox to resemble the inside of the stable where Jesus was born – draw a pile of hay and a horse, for instance.
• Then, create Mary, Joseph, Jesus, the three wise men, a shepherd and some of his sheep. These figures can be flat cardboard cutouts propped up so they stand, or by using papier-mache.
• Now scatter a small amount of real hay on the floor of the shoebox stable.
• Finally, make a small cradle for Jesus to sleep in.
• Tell your kids the story of Jesus’ birth, the angels who told the shepherds, the star that guided the three wise men, and the reason for celebrating Christmas.

3. Write your own family dinner prayer
While traditional prayers have strong meaning and are cherished by many families, writing your family's own dinner-time prayer is a way to express your own very special reasons for thanking God for all that you have.

Five Things To Do Today To Spread Joy

1. Mow or rake an elderly neighbor’s lawn. Don’t let them pay you for your efforts!
2. Remind a family member why you love them (“You have such positive attitude about helping around the house”)
3. Apologize to someone you know you’ve hurt.
4. Drop off some canned goods at the food pantry. Better yet, volunteer your time once a month to help distribute food or stock shelves.
5. Schedule a day off just to enjoy being with your kids. Do things they like to do that day.

We’re taught as Christians to "do God’s work," but it’s easy to forget how on a daily basis. This page – updated regularly with fresh ideas – gives you simple, meaningful ways to "share the love." We’d love to hear ways you’ve spread joy. E-mail us.