Church Teachings on the Family

Pope Francis

Pope Benedict XVI

  • Marriage: A Compendium of Pope Benedict’s teachings (2005-08)

Pope Saint John Paul II

Pope Paul VI

Pope Saint Pius XII

Pope Pius XI

  • Encyclical: Chastity in Marriage (Casti Connubii)
    [English, Spanish] (1930)

Pope Leo XIII

A Prayer for Marriage and the Family

Almighty God, author of life and author of marriage, we pray that you preserve and protect the sanctity of the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony from all of the cultural and legal attacks waged against it.

We invoke the intercession of your martyrs, St. John the Baptist, St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, who all willingly gave their lives in testimony to the sacredness of married love.

May what you have joined together as true marriage in the natural law, one man and one woman, be forever known to this and all future generations as the only authentic definition of marriage.

No matter what counterfeits may be proposed and promoted by foolish social trends and short sighted governments, let your faithful followers boldly proclaim and live the truth.

Give the leaders of your Church the courage and wisdom to defend and uphold your law, and not cower to the unjust laws of man and the persecutions that may come from resisting them.

When you joined Adam to Eve, you declared it “very good,” for this was your plan for humanity, that they may be fruitful and multiply, birthing new lives that would forever glorify and praise you.

Your Divine Son, Jesus, came to save us and also to teach us about selfless love as He laid down his life for His bride, the Church.

By Our Lady’s prompting He performed His first miracle at Cana, giving His presence in the celebration of marital love as a joyful new wine to married couples.

May the Lord Jesus, our Bridegroom, once again shower grace upon this fallen world and reveal the holiness of marriage as intended from the beginning of creation. Amen.

– Pedro de la Cruz

“12 Tips for Praying the Family Rosary daily (Attention Catholic Dads)”

familyrosaryby Dr. Taylor Marshall at taylormarshall.com

The Family Rosary is one of those bedrock devotions for the family recommended by the saints and spiritual masters. The Blessed Virgin Mary herself asked all Christians to pray the “one third {i.e. 5 decades} of the Holy Rosary daily” [1] in her message at Fatima.

The Popes have also attached a “plenary indulgence” to those who pray 5 decades of the Rosary “as a family” (when the other usual conditions are met*). This plenary indulgence cannot be obtained by private recitation – only in the context of a “family” recitation. This stipulation demonstrates that the Catholic Church privileges praying the Rosary as a family. The reason for this is that the Rosary is the “rose garden” of sanctify for children. As the Holy Spirit teaches us: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6).

Please continue reading this article by Dr. Taylor Marshall: http://taylormarshall.com/2010/09/12-tips-for-praying-family-rosary-daily.html

[1] Note from Mother Miriam: For those who now pray all 20 mysteries of the Rosary (as we do at the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel’s Hope), 5 decades would be one-fourth of the Rosary daily.