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More than anything else, we can offer a family life that integrates our faith as fully as possible. Perhaps, like me, you started with mealtime and bedtime prayers and Bible storybooks, and wondered what more to do.

I found very helpful the suggestion of Joan Halmo, author of Celebrating the Church Year with Young Children (Liturgical Press, 1988), that we establish and honor Sunday in our home and family life before trying to figure out how to observe any other liturgical season — even a more faith-oriented Christmas! — in our homes.

Sunday is a weekly Easter and was celebrated as such in the Christian church from its beginning, centuries before any of our now-familiar liturgical seasons arose. Celebrating Sunday as each week's Easter creates an environment rich for spiritual formation for even the youngest children.

Joan Halmo offers lots of resource material (focal points, projects, music, prayer, food, and more) and background information for Sunday and each of the liturgical seasons, from Easter and Holy Week to the Season of Easter (very enlightening and inspiring!), Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany.