Back to School

Friends, if your home is anything like ours, then the past few weeks have been about getting back into the routine of school. Summer is made for changing things up—perhaps it was a time of a little more leisure, a vacation or staycation (my family and I actually pilgrimaged to Italy for the Jubilee of Youth!), camps, and impromptu outings. But, if so, that means the start of the new school year can feel like the more unscheduled and unplanned nature of summer hitting a brick wall of school, with its scheduled days and pick-ups and drop-offs and practices. Kids feel the jolt, and so do we.

One of the things I’ve been pondering and praying with lately is how busy everyone, including me, seems to be. There’s just so much noise. Playing on the title of a popular book, I jokingly tell the Dominus team that I’m involved in the Ruthless Elimination of Leisure. So how do we figure out how much is too much? Or, better yet, how do we stick to doing those things God wants us to do and cut out those things that aren’t? And by this I’m not referring to cutting out sin—that’s a given—but about the seemingly endless multitude of good opportunities and events that are on offer for our families.

I’m grateful for the witness of a local family, the Dunbars, who mentioned during our recording of Holy Habits (fast forward to around the 6:50 mark) that they discern as a family what to do and not do. Their main criterion? Peace. Does this thing we’re considering bring more peace into our family life? Or does it bring more chaos? I think this is a helpful guide for my family, and hopefully for yours, as we navigate the transition of the new school year.

His yoke is easy, his burden light.

Practice Makes Perfect

Making Jesus Lord of our homes is not only about knowing the rights things, but also about doing the Christian life in the daily grind. This month gives us at least two great opportunities to practice the faith together as a family:

I. Take a tip from the Dunbar family and pray together about what is adding peace to your family and what is bringing chaos (or at least making things very stressful). Find some moments of silence to listen to Jesus and see what he brings to mind. Then, be willing to make changes to your schedule!

II. On September 7th, Pope Leo will canonize two amazing young saints, Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati. Read about them as a family over an Italian dinner. Celebrate their canonizations by going rock climbing (a Frassati favorite) or playing a family-friendly, group-oriented video game (an Acutis hobby). Then, go to Eucharistic adoration, since both young men loved to spend time with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Ask for their intercession to help your children be saints—which means holiness in the daily grind—and be inspired to love Jesus as they did.

What We’re Up To

Children’s Literature and the Catholic Imagination

‍

Mom, author, blogger, and editor of Word on Fire’s Votive Haley Stewart is coming for two special events focusing on how literature forms the imaginations and moral compasses of our children. On Friday, September 19th, she’ll be at FranU giving a talk for the public, and we’re going to create a Catholic Imagination Book Browse, too, which will allow you to walk through an exhibit that helps you discern good literature from its imitations. The next day, 15 people will get the chance to have brunch with Haley and have personal conversations with her about all things Catholic lit. Sign up for Friday’s event and learn how to be one of the lucky 15 for the Saturday brunch below!

A Cup of Coffee a Month

The Dominus Project comes from a 5-year grant awarded to FranU’s theology program to help parents and caregivers be the first witnesses of the faith to their children. We’re amazed at what God gas done in the past couple years. But we’re also thinking ahead: we have a little over two years left on the grant. We’re looking for people who have been impacted by our ministry or believe in our mission to become partners with us by joining our Patreon at the lowest paid membership setting for $5 a month, the price of a small latte. We trust that, if the Lord wants this to continue, he will find a way. Say a prayer and ask him if he might be calling you to support us.

Upcoming Event

Register for Children’s Literature and the Catholic Imagination

We’ll have snacks and refreshments at the Dominus Cafe, and we’re creating the Catholic Imagination Book Browse, an exhibit where you can learn principles for discerning the right literature for your kids and even flip through lots of books to see which ones fit the bill (or not!). And there’s free babysitting if you register by Sept. 15th!

Register for Friday Event by Clicking Here

Brunch with Haley

We’ll give 15 people the chance to join Haley for brunch on Saturday, September 20th. For a chance to be one of the 15, do the following:

1. Become a foundation layer on our patreon for only $5.
2. Find the post about brunch with Haley on Facebook or Instagram, like it, and comment “ticket.”
3. For an extra chance at the drawing, share the post!

‍

Future Endeavors

The Dominus Project is fielding a team for the Born to Run 5k and 1/2-mile walk & fun run to support Woman’s New Life Clinic. WNLC does important work supporting moms and dads through difficult pregnancies and beyond. To join our team, register here and search for “The Dominus Project” when asked if you want to join a team. We’ll put together some fun things for our team, so stay tuned!

Join Our Mission: Spiritual and Financial Discipleship

The Dominus Project is run by Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University, a non-profit, small-but-mighty Catholic university in Baton Rouge. We care about the community. We care about families in our land. We would love for you to join our mission by praying and sacrificing for us and by asking the Lord if He might want you to contribute financially to us. We also want to pray for you! We have a team holy hour and Mass every week for our Dominus family, so let us know whom and what we can offer up.

How Can We Pray for You?

Support Us on Stripe