What it’s Like

What does being in Domestic Church look like?

Couples in Domestic Church are like many other married Catholics. They work, raise families, participate in parish life, pray, and pursue holiness as best they can.

What’s different about Domestic Church couples is the accountability, stability and support they receive by being part of a Circle of other couples who are striving for the same things. They adopt Seven Commitments for their marriage and family that are the basis for consistent practice of faith in a Catholic home.

The Circle provides fellowship, enkindles friendship, and nourishes growth in holiness—all in the presence of the Circle’s priest.

"Throughout my time with my Domestic Church circle, I have come to understand the necessity of intentionality among every member of the group. Walking with the couples as they try and fail and stand up again with the assistance of their brothers and sisters has been an amazing experience. I have grown close to them not only as a priest to the people he serves, but as a friend and companion on the road to holiness."

What is a Circle Meeting?

In a typical Domestic Church Circle meeting, the couples come together in the home of one couple, rotating from month-to-month. The host couple provides a simple meal as the couples settle in and begin to share the Joys and Sorrows experienced in their spiritual walk since the previous meeting.

Next the couples pause to pray, especially for any intentions that arose in the sharing part of the meeting.

Using the Holy Rosary and Sacred Scripture, couples prayerfully immerse themselves in the Word of God and the life of Christ.

Then couples are invited to share, in turn, their recent experience in the practice of the Seven Commitments over the last month.

Special attention is placed on any of the commitments that was particularly emphasized at the last Circle meeting. Through this sharing couples reveal to one another their successes, struggles, and strategies for practicing the commitments.

Finally, in the last portion of the meeting the circle studies the formation materials for the meeting.

This is the catechesis, based on the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults that forms the individuals in the doctrines of the Catholic faith and deepens their meditations on the mysteries of Jesus Christ and His Church.

The meeting ends by choosing the date and host couple for the next meeting and reviewing the spiritual focus and scriptures for study before the next meeting. Many Circles participate in social fellowship following the official end of the meeting.

Ready to Join the Movement?

The Seven Commitments

1

Daily individual prayer

Each spouse finds a daily quiet space to fully enter God’s presence. This calls for each person to develop a personal time and space with God.

2

Daily study of Scripture

In a quiet, separate space, the individual takes advantage of the gift of the living Word of God. There are no particular verses to read and reflect on, just the challenge to dive into Scripture each day and encounter God there.

3

Daily couple prayer

The couple takes time each day to pray together aloud and usually in their own words. There is no length of time or other regulation set on this prayer. The focus is two-fold: to allow your spouse to witness your conversation with God and to offer shared prayers to God as a couple.

4

Daily family prayer

Couples make time each day to lead their family in prayer, if the couple has children in the home. Each family will discover and grow in their own way of praying together in a way that is fruitful for the different stages in their particular family’s life (small children, older children, adult children, etc).

5

Monthly couple dialogue

The monthly couple dialogue is an intentional, prayerful, and structured conversation done under the watchful gaze of God for an extended period of time. The couple thoughtfully considers the spiritual, practical and personal needs of each spouse, of the marriage, of children, and of the family as a whole.

6

Rule of life

Particularly in connection with their monthly dialogues, each couple decides upon specific changes or policies they will put in place in their individual lives, their marriage, and their household that reflect God’s will for them and their efforts to grow in holiness according to His promptings. Some rules of life always remain the same, but others will change and grow with the couple’s discernment and the family’s needs over time.

7

Yearly Domestic Church retreat

Each couple commits to attending a Domestic Church retreat at least once per year. Retreats can be for just the couple or for the entire family. These can be longer retreats or weekend retreats. To learn about the available retreats click here.

The beauty of these commitments is that the movement provides formation, using the Church’s spiritual traditions and official teachings, for how to pray, how to use Scripture in prayer, and how to grow in a real relationship with God, our spouses, and our children in light of our Baptism.