By Violeta Rocha
Special to The Texas Catholic
GARLAND — “Faith must be shared and nurtured within the family unit.”
With those words, Catherine Esteban, coordinator of campus ministries at Good Shepherd Catholic School, explained the idea behind a new initiative that began Feb. 20, inviting parents and children to participate in eucharistic adoration.
Good Shepherd’s family eucharistic adoration is a monthly initiative that provides parents of the Garland school the opportunity to visit the parish, to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, and to share in fellowship through a communal gathering.
“Inviting families to pray together before the Blessed Sacrament encourages them to strengthen their spiritual bonds and unity,” Esteban, who is also a pre-kindergarten teacher at the school, said.
Praying before the Blessed Sacrament alongside their children “allows parents to model their love for the Eucharist and offers a shared experience that reinforces faith at the deepest level: at home, within the family,” Esteban explained.
“We believe that if a family is spiritually strong, nothing and no one can break it,” she said. “We hope to build a spiritually strong faith community by allowing our students and parents to grow together in holiness through a variety of faith experiences.”
The initiative took two years to develop with the first eucharistic adoration being held in January. According to Esteban, families celebrated the initiative, embraced the opportunity, and attended in greater numbers in February, preparing the entire household for the Lenten journey.
“We are one. We are family. We are Church,” Víctor Hernández, 41, a member of the Good Shepherd advisory council, said. “Those of us with children are always rushing, taking them to sports activities and schoolwork, and we often forget about our faith.”
Hernández sees family eucharistic adoration as an opportunity that strengthens the bond of faith between parents and children.
“Thank God, about 12 families came, and afterward, we moved to the cafeteria to share, and it was phenomenal,” Hernández said of the Feb. 20 gathering. “It is important to remember that Jesus is always there, waiting for us, and that Jesus was also a child, so He opens His doors to our children as well.”
For Francisca Torres, attending with her four children, being surrounded by other parents was meaningful. In March, the school is planning a Lenten retreat for parents with the theme of “Live Christ, Share Christ.”
Hernández, who attended joined by his wife, Jazmín, and their nine children, said he felt it was “a beautiful way” to begin strengthening their unity within the school community.
“We are coming together as a school community, as brothers and sisters in faith, united in adoring Jesus and practicing our faith,” Hernández added.
Torres said that although she encourages her children to attend adoration, it makes a real difference when they can do so alongside their classmates and school friends.
“My children told me they felt happy approaching Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament together with their friends,” Torres said of her children, who are students in fifth and seventh grades at Good Shepherd.
Torres added that the experience made it easy to reflect on her own conversion and Lenten preparation through fasting, charity, and prayer.
“This is what I see many families discovering through God’s love. He pours out His rays of mercy upon us, strengthening and inspiring us,” she said.
“Jesus, from the Blessed Sacrament, continues to save us,” Father José Luis Esparza, F.N., parochial vicar at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, said. “If we truly want to grow in God’s love, we need the Eucharist and to spend as much time as possible before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, the source of infinite peace.”
First-grade teacher Diana Velázquez, who helped coordinate the family eucharistic adoration, said the school looks to continue attracting more parents and children in the coming months.
“We hope families can see that there are many ways to live a life of faith that will benefit their children,” Velázquez said. “Because we are not the ones who form them — the parents are the ones who form them at home, and we are here to support them.”
Cutline for featured image: Karla Barrera and her daughters, Angela Pérez, left, and Luz Pérez, kneel in prayer at the family eucharistic adoration at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Garland on Feb. 20.
