Parents
Stories
PLEASE SEE PARENTS COMMENTS
BELOW REGARDING THEIR FAMILY'S EXPERIENCE OF THE WEDNESDAY
WORD FAMILY TIME :
FAMILY COMMENT:
 We
liked The Wednesday Word because it
brought our family closer together and gave
us an opportunity to discuss and hear each other's opinions
about the Gospel. Even though we go to church this actually
made God real to us in our real life outside church. It
was easy to do because it was all set out for us.
We both thought it was a good way for the church to input
the Gospel into lots of families and also give us good advice.
The children saw that we were interested in their answers
and opinions. It was good quality
time together, which I think would help most Catholic families.
It also got us to stop and think about God in the week, which
can be difficult as most evenings are usually  so
busy.
FAMILY COMMENT:
We
are both non-Catholics. The Wednesday Word was enjoyable.
It got us to sit down together as a family
and the children enjoyed it. It
seems to clearly be a way to form an excellent link between
the church and school. I think The Wednesday
Word would help people to focus more on each other, value
other people more and would help keep families closer together.
Anything that can do this should be shared with other people.
FAMILY COMMENT:
Saturday
nights are always busy and on Sunday mornings we go to football
training. We have attended mass on odd occasions, particularly
when the headmaster has encouraged us to do so for a special
family mass. I enjoyed The Wednesday Word family talking
time and I think it is
a good habit to get into. I think the school
is a better religious educator than we are but maybe discussions
on this level may make us feel more confident to get involved.
Later in the evening to my husband's amusement I
told him I wouldn't mind going
to Mass this Sunday.
FAMILY COMMENT:
The
kids enjoyed the attention; this is
probably something we need to do more of. Many people choose
Catholic schools because of the morals and values. I am sure
they appreciate the need to support the school by reinforcing
the moral messages at home. I
think the children's enthusiasm had a positive impact on me.
As adults we can sometimes lose the simple outlook on life.
I actually felt I entered my child's world and it felt very
freeing. Having
a resource like this helps you to get beyond the peer pressure
that sometimes
stops this kind of thing happening in homes.
FAMILY COMMENT:
I
am not a Catholic but I have 2 children in the school - one
in reception and one in year 2. My husband is Catholic but
he has left me and I don't think he is currently practising.
Being involved with The
Wednesday Word has made me want to go back to church.
As a single parent it is a problem for me to attend any kind
of faith programmes in the evening due to lack of child care.
I think we need The Wednesday Word and it's something
I would prioritise, as it is a good thing to do. This has
also left my oldest child wanting to go back to church again.
For us, The Wednesday Word was simple and straightforward
and helped us to understand the faith and the Bible. I think
this is a really good way that the school and church can support
me and my children.
FAMILY COMMENT:
I
do not attend church or belong to any denomination, although
I have been baptised. It is not always easy to put aside time
to do things together; there are just so many other demands.
But this helped us because it was already prepared and ready
to use. I think it will help me consolidate what my son may
hear at school but not fully understand. I think it
is a good way to link the spirituality of the school with
the home and it might spark a bit of interest
in my faith. It is always good to spend
time with children as it can often lead to talk about other
things that concern them.
FAMILY COMMENT:
My
husband is a lapsed Catholic but I am still practising. We
have 3 children, the oldest is in year 7. I encouraged my
husband to join us in Family Time, and even though
he won't go to church with us he agreed to do the Family Time.
He was actually comfortable with it and found it to be a positive
experience. The
Family Time allowed our children to hear about their
dad's faith, which is not normally
something that they would hear about because he does not go
to church. I think that this
may also open up conversations with other families, if we
knew others were participating in The Wednesday Word.
I think this is a really good way to encourage family conversation
and a good way to teach the children listening skills and
respect for other people's opinions. I also think
it might encourage more families to come back to Mass.
FAMILY COMMENT:
We
have 2 children in St. Austin's School. I'm Catholic but my
husband is a lapsed C. of E. My oldest child is in year 2.
He was very interested and enjoyed The Wednesday Word.
I found The Wednesday Word very helpful. It is normally
hard to think what to say about religion to my son. I think
this really helps us to grow in our faith
and it brought us closer together.
I think we really need to do this and I
really loved the experience.
FAMILY COMMENT:
My
husband and myself are both Catholic but we have been lapsed
for over 20 years although we do have 2 children in the Catholic
education system. We were reluctant to even try using this
resource but were then amazed
how well our 9 year old son engaged in the deep and meaningful
conversation that followed. We wouldn't have
thought to talk on this level about such things with our children;
for us it created a link between spiritual and earthly things.
This resource promoted meaningful discussions and thought,
and it got the kids thinking more about themselves and others
and how different things
affect people's lives. I found this quiet time made me stop
and think what is happening in my life.
FAMILY COMMENT:
When
we had finished my 6 year old son asked if he could take it
to bed with him because he wanted to read it again.
My other child was openly excited about the attention she
received in this family time and our 3rd child surprised
us by coming out with a biblical quote that had obviously
been discussed at school which was related to this passage.
This seems a great way to consolidate the work that already
takes place in school and Children's Liturgy. Many parents
support their kids with homework in other subjects so I can't
see why most parents would not engage with this. When I asked
my husband his opinion he said
it brought us together and made us talk in a very helpful
way.
We need to do this more.
FAMILY COMMENT:
My
partner and I are both lapsed Catholics. I think The Wednesday
Word would raise the profile of the Catholic faith and
perhaps bring people and families back to church. We found
The Wednesday Word guidance to be a great help. It
helped us to remember and to bring it all back.
The children enjoyed it. On a regular basis I believe The
Wednesday Word would help to keep the family on track
and to remind all family members how to be good people. Receiving
this through school broadens our awareness of the presence
of God in our lives and reminds us of real values. I
think this helps us as parents, is
very informative and to the point.
FAMILY COMMENT:
If
this came through school I think it would help us and our
children to learn and talk about God in a different way.
It's a good way for the children to voice their opinions about
the faith and we were able to help them with this. I can't
see how any people who want their children in a Catholic school
would refuse to do this it's
so simple, but so helpful; it brings goodness into the house
and it's already prepared for them. We
hope it continues as it's a good base for families to build
on.
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