The Pious Homeschool
If you are homeschooling as a Catholic, integrating the Catholic faith into your homeschooling education is probably high on your list of priorities. This can take on many forms: incorporating catechism or theological studies into your curriculum, studying Catholic literature, learning about Church history, or studying the saints throughout the ages. However, Catholic homeschooling is about more than injecting Catholic content into your curriculum. Instead, it’s about living the Catholic faith in your homeschool. So, how can we integrate the Catholic faith into our homeschool in a way that nourishes the heart, not just the head?
Weekday Mass
One of the best ways to ensure your homeschooling is seasoned with the Catholic faith is to begin each day with morning Mass. By beginning the day celebrating the liturgy of the Church, you are grounding your efforts for that day in the grace of the Lord. True, schedules might not always permit a daily morning Mass. So, if this is you, try to at least work one in with you and the kids every now and then. Additionally, if you are not the only homeschooled family at your parish, consider asking your priest to offer a monthly Mass specifically for homeschoolers of the parish.
Morning Prayers
If daily Mass is not an option, you can still begin the school day with Morning Prayers. Morning Prayers together are an excellent way to get everybody focused. Moreover, you can implore the Lord’s help to start your day right. Here are a few ideas for you:
- The official morning prayers from the Liturgy of the Hours.
- One of the Church’s other traditional morning prayers.
- Simply share some simple prayers from the heart, asking God to be with you in your homeschool that day.
This will help your children build a habit of going to God before they undertake anything, which is a tremendously valuable lesson.
Angelus
The Angelus is a short prayer traditionally said at noon. It recalls the angelic salutation to the Virgin Mary when she conceived our Lord. If you are not familiar with the prayer, you can review it here at the USCCB website. Because it is traditionally said at noon, it is easy to incorporate into your schedule. In my homeschool, we generally assembled for Angelus right before sitting down to eat lunch.
Weekly Holy Hour
One of the great things about homeschooling is you get to be the master of your own schedule. Why not use that leeway to plan a weekly holy hour? In my homeschool, we had a set time every Friday. We’d go up to the Church and spend an hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Besides being a most wholesome spiritual practice, you’ll find it refreshing to sit in silence with your kids before the Lord. It will feel like a recharge!
Monk Meal
Monk meal is something we picked up from our pastor years ago. In a monk meal, you eat dinner silently as the Benedictine monks do. Everyone must eat in silence, If they need something, they have to point to it. One person is designated to read some sort of spiritual reading. This can be Bible passages, the lives of the saints, or some other pious reading. Note that the reader has to eat dinner later after everyone else is done. The monk meal is relaxing, edifying, and it teaches children to be attentive to other peoples’ needs, because they have to pay attention to each other in case someone points to something they need.
Conclusion
These are just a few basic ideas, but I am sure there are more. What about you? How have you incorporated Catholic piety into your homeschooling day? I invite you to join me and other homeschooling parents at the Homeschool Connections Community or Facebook group to continue the discussion.
