Families and Children – Another View

A guest article by Joseph Bevan, in honor of the feast of St. Nicholas.

"Abolish the Patriarchy"? -- It's Actually Gone, But We Should Return to It - by Roberto de Mattei

 Why We Must Return to the Patriarchy

Roberto de Mattei

Corrispondenza Romana

December 2023

After the murder of a young woman, Giulia Cecchettin, last Nov. 11, Italy has discovered that it is threatened by the "patriarchy." The title of a dossier in the Nov. 24 La Repubblica newspaper is eloquent: "Feminicides: stop the slaughter." The thesis, which is the same one spread by the mainstream media, social media, and all kinds of influencers, is that there is a massacre of feminicides and the responsibility must be attributed to the still dominant culture of "patriarchy." We need to fight patriarchy to stop violence against women.

NEW SERIES: Tell us your vocation stories!

A few years ago we ran a short, but very popular, series of posts called "The joy of big families" (we've tagged it in the labels below for our readers to easily find and read). Now, we want to do something similar, and are asking you to send your stories to us. 

As the faith has collapsed since the wretched Council, so too have vocations collapsed, due in much part to the contraceptive mentality most Catholics today happily embrace. However, our readers, and the remnant of traditional Catholics left, are embracing large families -- and they do pray for vocations from their children. 

But many do not really know how to produce those vocations beyond their prayers. As St. Benedict says, pray like it all depends on God, work like it all depends on you. But what does that work look like? 

Here's what we're asking for: For our older readers who have produced a priest, a monk or a nun, and did so deliberately (not just lucked out!), please send us your story! Let us know what you did on a daily basis to foster that vocation that our younger parent readers can emulate. And if you're a priest, monk or nun whose parents led to your vocation, you can send that story to us as well. Tell us what they did to prepare you to offer your life for Christ and His Church (note: We will keep you anonymous if you ask).

These submissions can but don't have to be terribly long -- but should be lengthy enough for our readers to take away concrete ideas and wisdom to get to work on real, tangible action items. We're looking more for "we talked to them every day about how to discern a vocation and to say this prayer" than "we kept the faith in the home." Be specific! 

Send your submissions to athanasiuscatholic AT yahoo.com and we will consider them quickly. 

While many people today try to create a vocation to match whatever people want to do with their lives, traditionally we know there is only one true vocation -- to the religious life. So let's all do our part to bring about those much-needed vocations that bolster the Church like nothing else can outside of God's grace. 

TERRIFYING - What the Official Daily of the Church in Italy is now teaching about the family: "Gender Theory" and "Large Families" are just two extremes of a virtuous middle...

Note: The following is an article published last week in the journal, Avvenire, a daily newspaper owned by the Italian Bishops Conference.  I thought it important to translate it, because it is indicative of what the “official” Church in Italy is thinking about the question of the relationship of doctrine to pastoral praxis, especially with respect to the Synod on the Family that will be held next October in Rome.

The reader will notice the references to the Church using images and words of Pope Francis such as the Church as a field hospital, and the reference to the “law of graduality”, attributing this “law” to Pope John Paul II.  There is also the use of the Pope’s widely reported “rabbit” statement with respect to large Catholic families to explain what responsible parenthood means.

There seems to be no question to the author and to Don Paolo Gentili, the director of the Italian Bishops’ Office for the family, that pastoral praxis on family issues is changing and will change.  But what is most striking is the use of Paul VI’s Encyclical Humanae Vitae as the springboard for discussing “la svolta pastorale”, the change in direction of pastoral praxis.  There is no doubt that what Paul VI says in that encyclical is supportive of and understands deeply the Catholic teaching on the family including sexual issues.  But that encyclical is famous (or infamous) not because of its teaching on the family and marriage:  it represents for the great majority of people an example of how a rigid attitude towards doctrine prevented the implementation of a more modern and “compassionate” pastoral praxis with respect to contraception.  It is also in its own way a symbol of that dissent from Catholic teaching that became if not normative then certainly widespread after the Second Vatican Council.

Surely one cannot draw any definite conclusions from this article.  But one can wonder about the “co-opting” of Humanae Vitae as a means of, for all practical effects, neutralizing its final meaning and import, pace what the writer says to the contrary. Is this, together with the firm assumption that pastoral praxis with respect to the family and sexuality is undergoing a change in direction, and using the “law of graduality” to describe, at least in part, how pastoral practice will change, and using “responsibility” to neutralize the “rabbit” statement—is this the beginning of the parade to drum up support for the Kasper way of looking at things when the Synod convenes in October?  We shall see.

***

Responsible Parenthood: Pastoral Praxis Evolving

Luciano Mola, Avvenire, January 20, 2015

Clearer...once again

Titian
The Madonna of the Rabbit (1530)
Musée du Louvre

The meetings with families and young people, in Manila, were significant moments of the visit to the Philippines. Healthy families are essential to the life of society. It gives comfort and hope to see many families that welcome children as a true gift of God. They know that every child is a blessing. I've heard - some people say - that families with many children and the birth of so many children are among the causes of poverty. I think this is a rather simplistic opinion. I can say, all we can say, that the main cause of poverty is an economic system that has removed the person from its center, replacing him with the god of money, an economic system that excludes, always excludes: That excludes children, the elderly, the young, the jobless ... - and that creates the throw-away culture in which we live. We have grown used to seeing people being discarded. This is the main cause of poverty, not families. Evoking the figure of St Joseph, who protected the life of the "Santo Niño", so revered in that country, I mentioned that we need to protect families, which face various threats, so that they can witness the beauty of the family in God's plan. Families need to be defended from new ideological colonization, that seek to threaten their identity and mission.

Franciscus

General Audience - Rome

January 21, 2015

"Dear Families, Thank you!" - an Editorial of the FSSP in England

Editorial: Beloved Families!

Fritz von Uhde
Christ with a Farmer's Family (1887-8)
Musée d'Orsay

Dear families! Dear beloved Christian homes! Most honourable and precious domestic churches! Let your due praises be sung, though with insufficient words!

May we start by thanking all faithfully married spouses (or formerly married if they are widowed). We include whoever may be separated or has been abandoned and still remains faithful, if we know any. And also, wherever they may be, any estranged spouses who have come back to God. Dear faithful spouses, thank you for mirroring Christ’s enduring love for the Church and, by extension, God’s indefectible love for every soul. Thank you for forgiving each other whenever needed, and for starting afresh every day. In the darkness of this selfish and despairing world, thank you for radiating God’s tenderness, in your own particular fashion. Thank you for demonstrating that God’s grace purifies and elevates our human affections. God gives and does not take back. When on your glorious wedding day, standing before His altar, you imitated God’s irrevocable promise, trusting in His word and assistance, you did well: “I, Robert, take you, Philomena, for my lawful wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part. – I, Philomena, take you, Robert, for my lawful husband...” We are all so proud of you! Your commitment makes us stronger too.

Rorate book review: "Advice for Successful Families"

As part of our ongoing series, “The Joy of Big Families,” we bring you a quick review of a wonderful new book titled "Advice for SuccessfulFamilies: The Christian Family Today."

By Mr. and Mrs. Adfero

Many parents, especially in our troubled times, spend countless dollars and hours wasted reading modern “parenting” books. To spank, or not to spank?  To punish, or not? Do we use a “time out” or a “time in”? Is praise beneficial or harmful?

Most of these books leave today’s parents more confused than before they started reading them.  And none of them focus on what’s truly most important: raising our children Catholic and for Heaven.

Now, Fr. Alain Delagneau has brought us full circle, taking on modern problems facing today’s Catholic parents with the wisdom of the ages – and the Church. And he focuses on what parents should be focusing on, not what the world tells them to focus on.

This book is not a nebulous, 30,000-foot spiritual exercise, leaving the reader unsure how to put into practice what they’ve read. It’s a straightforward blueprint that families at all levels – and with children of all ages -- can easily digest and implement to focus the direction they are headed as a married couple and as parents towards sanctification.

Fr.  Delagneau takes you through many critical areas pertaining to married life and raising children:

·    The qualities that the head of the family should possess and consequences of his faults.

·    The qualities of the wife as the heart of the home and the consequences to the family if she does not fulfill her role.

·    How peace in the home stems from the harmony of the spouses.

·    How a child will naturally obey his parents if the child is assured of his parents’ natural and supernatural love for him – to the extent that the demands are explained and lack harshness.

·    The virtues critical to a healthy and holy family and the spiritual life and devotions that develop those virtues (what prayers to say, what books to read, etc.).

·    “The duty to sit down”: how spouses must strive to inspire in each other a desire for mutual sanctification.

·    How to schedule your life to bring about “human equilibrium.”

·    And the friends and enemies of the Christian home: what all parents must know about the TV, the Internet and video games, along with suggestions on wholesome activities and family friends.

In a nutshell, "Advice for Successful Families" will help you: 1) order your family life towards God; 2) enjoy life; 3) achieve balance in your family life; 4) organize your life; and 5) to distinguish yourself from the spirit of the world while living in the world.

You may purchase this must-read book for the very reasonable price of $9.95 from Angelus Press by clicking here.

Guidance for young parents: how to raise a big, holy Catholic family (ongoing series)

After posting a video of a Catholic family with 15 children -- that boasted eight religious vocations -- we asked our readers to write into us and share their stories on what it's like to raise a big family, and what they did or are still doing to make their family holy, happy and peaceful. Here is one of those stories.

Please consider sending your story to Rorate (see here for very flexible instructions) to post in this on-going series to help inspire young Catholic couples to forgo the abuses of Natural Family Planning (NFP) and simply go fourth and multiply with faith and confidence in a loving and all-knowing God. You can do so either under your name or anonymously. 

To view all of these stories, click the "The joy of big families" tag at the end of this post.

NB: This is not a post from a reader. This is a piece written in 1965. I can personally attest to the power of this piece, in that it has already affected our family's homelife for the better, in dramatic ways. It should be required reading for parents trying to save their children's -- and their own -- souls.

For a nicely presented PDF of this article, click here. 

Written by Rev. Jesus Urteaga (+RIP):

Bright and Cheerful Homes 

The undertaking I want to speak to you about is an enormous one: rearing your family. I am much more concerned about your home than about whatever bad or dangerous atmosphere you may find in the street. I am much more worried about the way of life your children will learn in your home, following your example, seeing you live your life, than I am about anything they may learn from the faithlessness and faults of other people. Here is a really important question: Are you giving them that "something"—and it is a very great something—that they must have if they are to live truly Christian lives?

Guidance for young parents: how to raise a big, holy Catholic family (ongoing series)

After posting a video of a Catholic family with 15 children -- that boasted eight religious vocations -- we asked our readers (see here) to write into us and share their stories on what it's like to raise a big family, and what they did or are still doing to make their family holy, happy and peaceful. Here is one of those stories.

Please consider sending your story to Rorate (see here for very flexible instructions) to post in this on-going series to help inspire young Catholic couples to forgo the abuses of Natural Family Planning (NFP) and simply go fourth and multiply with faith and confidence in a loving and all-knowing God.

To view all of these stories, click the "The joy of big families" tag at the end of this post. For those who have sent in stories, we will post soon:

Written by John from Ireland:

I was born in Ireland in 1962 and served the Latin Mass a few times just before the NO was introduced and we were 're-trained'.  I abandoned my faith in my mid teens but life without God left me unhappy and thanks be to God, I had returned to my faith through a sometimes painful journey by the time I was 24.

The life of faith is a journey and some of our own journey follows. I do not tell families how to live their lives as each family is different but there are some Catholic practices which will help any family that adopts them.

Married life began when I was 26 and my wife was 23. We were open to life and we were just an  ordinary everyday very average Novus Ordo Catholic couple.

Guidance for young parents: how to raise a big, holy Catholic family (ongoing series)

After posting a video of a Catholic family with 15 children -- that boasted eight religious vocations -- we asked our readers (see here) to write into us and share their stories on what it's like to raise a big family, and what they did or are still doing to make their family holy, happy and peaceful. Here is one of those stories.

Please consider sending your story to Rorate (see here for very flexible instructions) to post in this on-going series to help inspire young Catholic couples to forgo the abuses of Natural Family Planning (NFP) and simply go fourth and multiply with faith and confidence in a loving and all-knowing God.

To view all of these stories, click the "The joy of big families" tag at the end of this post. For those who have sent in stories, we will post soon:

Written by Marc, of Marc's View on Stuff:

I am the father of eight souls. Six, whom I feed now, one in limbo, and one "on the way." Our oldest is nearly twelve.

I never would have thought I would enjoy being the father of this many children. Not having grown up in the Traditional movement, the thought of a large family never came up.

But God had other plans. Not only did he lead us to the Traditional Mass and sacraments as provided beautifully to us by the Institute of Christ the King, He led us to many "already seasoned" large families who have been so beneficial to us. I have great mentors and my homeschooling bride also has many to call upon for advice.

I now wish to return the favor and encouragement we have received to my junior brethren of fathers.

I can only encourage you to go "All-In" in embracing the desire for a large family. Although we may not have the abundance that my more worldly peers have, we have great peace because we have what we need. As the children get older (and stomachs hungrier) or as the family has grown, the money has always been there. As one of my good friends says, "You do your part, God does His."

Many people look at me as if I have three heads when I tell them how many children I have. Your best response is a big and confident smile and cheerful charity.  Think of it as live apostolate theater.  I love taking the brood to Costco and keeping the cheerful demeanor. I pray we touch many souls this way.

In my blog, I post on some of the more humorous times within our family. These, especially, make it all worthwhile. 

In Christo Rege,

Marc

Guidance for young parents: how to raise a big, holy Catholic family (ongoing series)

After posting a video of a Catholic family with 15 children -- that boasted eight religious vocations -- we asked our readers (see here) to write into us and share their stories on what it's like to raise a big family, and what they did or are still doing to make their family holy, happy and peaceful. Here is one of those stories.

Please consider sending your story to Rorate (see here for very flexible instructions) to post in this on-going series to help inspire young Catholic couples to forgo the abuses of Natural Family Planning (NFP) and simply go fourth and multiply with faith and confidence in a loving and all-knowing God.

To view all of these stories, click the "The joy of big families" tag at the end of this post. For those who have sent in stories, we will post soon:

Written by New York Mom:

My husband and I have 8 children ... 4 boys - 4 girls. We were married with the TLM almost 20 years ago. 

My husband just graduated from law school and I was in my third year of law school when I was expecting our first child, nine months after we were married. I have never used my degree outside of home but I sure use it inside the home! We have done it all as far as schooling. We have home schooled and some have gone to traditional school... very orthodox but away from home.  We have tried to find the best fit for each child and have made mistakes but I believe our kids know that we are trying to do the best we can for them.  If I had to say a few things that have worked for us in keeping our eyes on the prize .... Heaven .... I would humbly suggest the following:

Guidance for young parents: how to raise a big, holy Catholic family (ongoing series)

After posting a video of a Catholic family with 15 children -- that boasted eight religious vocations -- we asked our readers (see here) to write into us and share their stories on what it's like to raise a big family, and what they did or are still doing to make their family holy, happy and peaceful. Here is one of those stories.

Please consider sending your story to Rorate (see here for very flexible instructions) to post in this on-going series to help inspire young Catholic couples to forgo the abuses of Natural Family Planning (NFP) and simply go fourth and multiply with faith and confidence in a loving and all-knowing God.

To view all of these stories, click the "The joy of big families" tag at the end of this post. For those who have sent in stories, we will post soon:

Written by anonymous:

My husband and I are blessed to be the mother and father of (so far) nine children. Three girls and six boys! Our oldest, is 15. They stair step down to our youngest who is 11 months. God is in control of how many children to bless us with. We do not presume to know better than God who makes no mistakes and knows what is best for us.

Guidance for young parents: how to raise a big, holy Catholic family (ongoing series)

After posting a video of a Catholic family with 15 children -- that boasted eight religious vocations -- we asked our readers (see here) to write into us and share their stories on what it's like to raise a big family, and what they did or are still doing to make their family holy, happy and peaceful. Here is one of those stories.

Please consider sending your story to Rorate (see here for very flexible instructions) to post in this on-going series to help inspire young Catholic couples to forgo the abuses of Natural Family Planning (NFP) and simply go fourth and multiply with faith and confidence in a loving and all-knowing God.

To view all of these stories, click the "The joy of big families" tag at the end of this post. For those who have sent in stories, we will post soon:

Written by Mark Andrew:

While the stories of large families will encourage newly weds, they are likely to be nervous about the coming responsibilities and aware of their lack of knowledge.

An anchor in my life as a father of a large family was the Penny Catechism learnt as a child. 

The first two questions are:  Who made you?  - God made me;  Why did God make you? - To know, love and serve Him in this life and to be forever happy with Him in the next. Then, we learnt we are made in the image and likeness of God because we have an immortal soul.  We must take more care of the soul than the body for,“What doth it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul?”

Each person is created by God for love.  Each child is a sublime prayer and gift to God who, guided by parents co-operating with the graces of their calling, will forever give love and praise to Almighty God.  

It is no wonder that families obedient to God’s will are so blessed.  At times it is hard, exhausting and calls for many sacrifices, but then, He sacrificed His life that we might be blessed. Parents follow in His footsteps that their children be blessed.

Guidance for young parents: how to raise a big, holy Catholic family (ongoing series)

After posting a video of a Catholic family with 15 children -- that boasted eight religious vocations -- we asked our readers (see here) to write into us and share their stories on what it's like to raise a big family, and what they did or are still doing to make their family holy, happy and peaceful. Here is one of those stories.

Please consider sending your story to Rorate (see here for very flexible instructions) to post in this on-going series to help inspire young Catholic couples to forgo the abuses of Natural Family Planning (NFP) and simply go fourth and multiply with faith and confidence in a loving and all-knowing God.

To view all of these stories, click the "The joy of big families" tag at the end of this post. For those who have sent in stories, we will post soon:

Written by anonymous:

We have 8 children, 5 boys and 3 girls, who range in age from 16 down to 1.  The last two pregnancies were very hard on my wife and she feels overwhelmed most of the time.  We homeschool them (5-6 of them this year) but we've turned to a few online classes to help with the older ones.

Their behavior is average at home (we think), but we always get compliments on their behavior when we are out and about.

We aren't good about doing family projects like gardening or farming or some awesome business, but partly that's because I help with quite a bit of the education of the older ones.

There's only so many hours in the day ...

Guidance for young parents: how to raise a big, holy Catholic family (ongoing series)

After posting a video of a Catholic family with 15 children -- that boasted eight religious vocations -- we asked our readers (see here) to write into us and share their stories on what it's like to raise a big family, and what they did or are still doing to make their family holy, happy and peaceful. Here is one of those stories.

Please consider sending your story to Rorate (see here for very flexible instructions) to post in this on-going series to help inspire young Catholic couples to forgo the abuses of Natural Family Planning (NFP) and simply go fourth and multiply with faith and confidence in a loving and all-knowing God.

To view all of these stories, click the "The joy of big families" tag at the end of this post. For those who have sent in stories, we will post soon:

Written by anonymous:

A wise parent of a large family once said, "It is only the person with one child that goes around giving advice.  Once you have more kids, you see that no child is the same and everyone is just trying to do their best."  I am not here trying to give advice.  Rather as one who has been there, I wanted to write a word of encouragement to the parents in the trenches.

Like so many big families we know, my husband and I have found peace and joy in our home on account of our many children, not despite them.  For those who don't know Christ no explanation will suffice, and for those who do know Christ no explanation is necessary.  Thus, I don't think it is helpful to enumerate all the non-essential particulars of what our day looks like or what rules we enforce.  The tips and tricks we use to make our life easier don't create a happy home.  Happiness comes from God alone.

Guidance for young parents: how to raise a big, holy Catholic family (ongoing series)

After posting a video of a Catholic family with 15 children -- that boasted eight religious vocations -- we asked our readers (see here) to write into us and share their stories on what it's like to raise a big family, and what they did or are still doing to make their family holy, happy and peaceful. Here is one of those stories.

Please consider sending your story to Rorate (see here for very flexible instructions) to post in this on-going series to help inspire young Catholic couples to forgo the abuses of Natural Family Planning (NFP) and simply go fourth and multiply with faith and confidence in a loving and all-knowing God.

To view all of these stories, click the "The joy of big families" tag at the end of this post. For those who have sent in stories, we will post soon:

Written by Dr. Rory Donnellan (Australia):

We only have 6 children at the moment – ages 7 months to 9 years – so may not be the best placed to give advice on the benefits of a big family. However, we have found frequenting the traditional Latin Mass and the Sacrament of Penance to be very beneficial to fostering peace and joy in the home. We go to the traditional Latin Mass as a family every day and partake of the Sacrament of Penance once a week. Like the Mass and Holy Communion, Penance helps overcome venial sins, and should not be seen as unnecessary if you don’t have any mortal sins to confess.

We also pray the family rosary every night sans the luminous mysteries/chaplet of Pope John Paul 2.  All our children have been born at home and the older ones are all homeschooled using the Our Lady ofVictory program [Adfero note: we use this program as well, and highly recommend it].

Guidance for young parents: how to raise a big, holy Catholic family (ongoing series)

After posting a video of a Catholic family with 15 children -- that boasted eight religious vocations -- we asked our readers (see here) to write into us and share their stories on what it's like to raise a big family, and what they did or are still doing to make their family holy, happy and peaceful. Here is one of those stories.

Please consider sending your story to Rorate (see here for very flexible instructions) to post in this on-going series to help inspire young Catholic couples to forgo the abuses of Natural Family Planning (NFP) and simply go fourth and multiply with faith and confidence in a loving and all-knowing God.

To view all of these stories, click the "The joy of big families" tag at the end of this post. For those who have sent in stories, we will post soon:

My husband and I were married on the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul in 2002.  We selected this day for a number of reasons, mostly because this was when all our siblings' children were out of school and could be present at the wedding, but as the years have gone by I believe it was Divine Providence.  I was homeschooled myself, my husband attended Catholic grade school and all-boys Catholic high school.  I was raised in the SSPX, my husband was raised in the Novus Ordo, finding the indult Mass while in college.  We met unconventionally on St. Raphael Singles website, straphael.net, when it was in its beginning stages.  

We have six children born in the first ten years, four sons and two daughters, ranging in age from ten years to sixteen months.  We have homeschooled from the beginning, the four oldest are all in piano or violin lessons, our oldest son is in a boys choir to which the second son also aspires to join later this year.  Our oldest son began serving Mass two months before his eighth birthday, and serves pretty much every Mass (both Sundays and weekdays) that we attend. The second son, who just received his First Holy Communion, is "in training", currently serving as a torchbearer at High Masses.  My husband has been at the forefront of all this, as he is the primary catechism instructor in the home and also drills them on their altar boy responses.  He comes home from work and often goes right out again, with the older children in tow, taking them to a daily Mass.  

Guidance for young parents: how to raise a big, holy Catholic family (ongoing series)

After posting a video of a Catholic family with 15 children -- that boasted eight religious vocations -- we asked our readers (see here) to write into us and share their stories on what it's like to raise a big family, and what they did or are still doing to make their family holy, happy and peaceful. Here is one of those stories.

Please consider sending your story to Rorate (see here for very flexible instructions) to post in this on-going series to help inspire young Catholic couples to forgo the abuses of Natural Family Planning (NFP) and simply go fourth and multiply with faith and confidence in a loving and all-knowing God.

To view all of these stories, click the "The joy of big families" tag at the end of this post. For those who have sent in stories, we will post soon:

Written by Long-Skirts:

“God doesn’t give you more than you can handle”… but sometimes I thought He had me mixed up with a cow in a field somewhere!

The husband and I have six boys, no lamps (the boys broke them all) and four girls.

Guidance for young parents: how to raise a big, holy Catholic family

After posting a video of a Catholic family with 15 children -- that boasted eight religious vocations -- we asked our readers (see here) to write into us and share their stories on what it's like to raise a big family, and what they did or are still doing to make their family holy, happy and peaceful. Here is one of those stories.

Please consider sending your story to Rorate (see here for very flexible instructions) to post in this on-going series to help inspire young Catholic couples to forgo the abuses of Natural Family Planning (NFP) and simply go fourth and multiply with faith and confidence in a loving and all-knowing God: 

By Maeana Cragg

Some people may think we’re crazy.  Others may think that we are just foolish.  Few have ever said that directly to us. 

In fact, after asking the obligatory, “Are they all yours?” most people are kind enough to tell us what a beautiful family we have.

There was a time when a Catholic family with at least seven sweet little stair steps was not extraordinary at all, but quite typical.  Somewhere, we seem to have lost that beautiful part of our Catholic identity.  Honestly, I’m not sure how, as the Church’s teachings on family, on contraception, and on the blessings of children have not changed. 

A call for volunteers: inspire us!

The post below on the Prado family sparked many emails, and discussions in my own home, about what it takes to be like them. While we don't know what they're really like with the cameras off, all evidence points to their holiness, and their happiness. 

As the father of four very young children, many people see photos of my family in social media, or see us for an hour or two in public, and ask us how we're so happy and have so much fun. My wife and I always laugh later, as these people aren't privy to the stress that hides at home, when no one's around, and it's just you and the children. Yes, there is fun, and there is happiness. But there's also yelling, stress and many prayers to Our Lady for peace in our home.

What I'm often told by families we know that are bigger than ours with older children is that "it gets easier." Once the children can help at home, do their schooling without complaint, take care of each other, etc., it gets easier. 

We believe our readers, many whom homeschool and have many children or know they will most likely have many children, may be facing the same issues. And, in this Catholic desert many of us suffer in, there isn't always a lot of good examples around us. Many, unfortunately, can only turn to the internet for support.

Volunteer: We are looking for a mother or father (or both) of large families who have peace in their homes and have found joy with their many children to submit their stories to Rorate. Our readers need your expertise and your guidance -- they need you to help them see the light at the end of the tunnel! 

A couple of prerequisites: One, we need to hear from parents of truly large families. We don't want to set an arbitrary number, but let's say six or more children. Also, we want to hear from families whom homeschool. While having a large family with children who go to school is in no way easy or not meritorious, it's a whole other thing to homeschool those children, and we need to hear from you. And, last, we need to hear from traditional families. That isn't to say we don't want to hear from families who attend the Novus Ordo. But we would expect those families to live fully traditional lives at home and explain how that brings peace and joy. 

If you've had that peace and joy at home from your first child on, tell us how! If you struggled at first then found that peace and joy, tell us what you did to find it. Tell us about your religious lives at home, your discipline methods, whatever you believe brought Christ's peace upon your families.

If you have the time to write us, send in your stories to athanasiuscatholic@yahoo.com. Don't worry about the grammar, the length, etc. Just jot your stories down and send them in. And tell us if you want to stay anonymous or not. Pictures are welcome as well as links to family blogs.

If you don't have the time but can comment, please do so in the comments box of this post.