Family Faith Resources

Raising kids is a challenge. Period. Raising them to have a relationship with God and embrace Catholic faith as their own in today's world? Even more of a challenge. Maybe you have a personal relationship with God yourself and a decent understanding of Catholic beliefs and maybe you don't. Maybe you were raised in home with lots of faith-filled traditions and maybe you weren't. In either case, translating faith into kid-friendly language and modern family life requires a lot of support.

To help you, the Diocese of Des Moines has begun building a collection of resources for parents. They include explanations of faith practices and beliefs as we as ideas for rituals and prayers that you can incorporate into your family life. You can do this! Grow your faith together!

At this time our resources primarily focus on the liturgical seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter.

Additional Parenting Resources

Parents are the primary educators and catechists of their children, and the Catholic community rooted in the parish is here to assist parents in this vital mission. For resources that can assist families in faith and character formation, please check out the organizations below:

  • Families of Character helps family reprioritize what matters by putting God first, marriage second, and family third.
  • First Witnesses provides weekly guidance for parents to become the first witnesses of the faith to their children.
  • FORGE's mission is to build a foundation of healthy fathers, strong families, and empowered evangelizers to revitalize the family, transform our culture, and rebuild the Church.
  • Holy Heroes is here to help you bring the joy of the faith to your family with Catholic kids activities, pictures books, and parenting resources.
  • Start with Sunday helps you prepare your children for Sunday Mass. Each week get readings, animated videos, and activities delivered to your inbox.
  • Teaching the Way of Love empowers parents to embrace their role as the primary educators of their children. Using the best in Church teaching and secular research, TWL shows parents how to lead their children to God's loving plan for their lives.
  • Vibrant Faith @ Home has hundreds of activities for families with children, families with adolescents, young adults, adults and couples, and activities just for kids.