Blast with the Bishop draws dozens of families

Dozens of families from parishes across the state came together on Saturday, March 21, to participate in the Blast with the Bishop. Held at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Brunswick, the focus of the day was on living a vibrant Catholic life at home.

“It’s to bring families together, to share faith, to really empower them to live the Domestic Church, to live their faith at home in partnership with the parish,” said Kim Suttie, director of the diocese’s Office of Lifelong Faith Formation, which sponsored the event.  “How do we empower? All research shows that children who grow up in a family of faith, where faith is important in their home, continue that life of faith as adults.”

The day featured presentations by Bishop James Ruggieri, Suttie, and fellow parents, who addressed both the challenges and the importance of making faith part of everyday life.

Among the suggestions offered: reading the Gospel together, celebrating liturgical feasts at home, praying together as a family, regularly participating in the sacraments, including Mass and confession, and modeling charity and stewardship.

Parents who attended said they took a lot away from the day.

“What the bishop was talking about in terms of what the Domestic Church looks like at home was super helpful for me as a very impatient mom with small kids. It’s a reminder that the little things that we do each day matter,” said Ali Brown of Brunswick, who attended with her three children. “It’s amazing that so many people traveled here. It makes me feel excited about the state of Catholicism in Maine.”

“There were very practical suggestions on how to foster that Domestic Church within the home, which I think was very helpful,” said Emily Queally, who is engaged and said she wants to raise her family in a strong Catholic household. “It provided suggestions for fostering faith in children in a digestible way that they can understand.”

“Since we’re getting married, we wanted to make sure that we were starting out on the right foot when we grow our family,” said Jeff Peck of Lisbon, Emily’s fiancé who has an 8-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. “I think we got some tips on incorporating more prayer in our life.”

After hearing the presentations, the families contributed their own suggestions on how they might help the Domestic Church to thrive. They included praying the Rosary together, saying Grace before meals, praying morning and evening prayer together, donating to a food pantry, helping a neighbor clear their driveway, helping to clean the church, having children become altar servers, and many more.

The families also created posters depicting what the Domestic Church looked like in their home.

Along with the presentations for parents, there were activities for children. While younger children colored or played games, those a little older made rosary beads, and teenagers chatted with Father Erin Donlon, assistant director of the Office of Vocations, who was ordained to the priesthood last year. Children also participated in a Making Music, Praying Twice session.

The day also included eucharistic adoration, the opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation, Stations of the Cross led by the children and using posters drawn by children, and Mass celebrated by the bishop and concelebrated by Father Phil Tracy, pastor of All Saints Parish.

In all, 113 people participated in the Blast with the Bishop.