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Within days, this sacred time and space yielded to what our Church Fathers in the 1st Century AD called an ‘Ecclesiola’ (Little Church in ancient Greek) – the family, the smallest body of gathered believers in Christ. A sign that hangs in many Catholic homes: ‘Christ Is The Head Of Our Home’ became a living, breathing reality as Christ became the ‘center’ of their home, bringing them closer than ever as they began to work, play, talk and pray together. This tradition continued even after the lockdowns were lifted and the parents went back to their London home, where the families gather across the UK and India to pray the Rosary every evening at 7 pm over a WhatsApp call.

Even more, this family became a source of support for their neighbors, sharing scarce food and resources with them at this time of adversity. Yes, the ‘Ecclesiola’ is now our Domestic Church, growing stronger in its formation through the adversity of COVID-19, conflict and climate change.  Our early Church Fathers understood clearly that the home was fertile ground for discipleship, sanctification, and holiness.  

For over 1.34 billion Catholics living all over the world, the Domestic Church has moved closer to the Center of their lives. The Domestic Church plays a key role in the sanctification of our lives because it is the primary place where we practice coming to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. In 2022, the digital media offers us a vibrant platform to build our Ecclesiola—our Domestic Churches—today.

On communities like HCFM Prayfest on the Familheey app, there are several resources to help you build a Domestic Church in your homes and communities. When we place Christ at the center of our lives through prayer, everything our families do becomes powerful. Our playing, praying, working, and talk­ing become charged with God's love and our families become torchbearers of spiritual transformation for the world.

As Venerable Peyton inspired us, let’s continue our Domestic Church—our Ecclesiola— journeys to create a world where ‘The Family That Prays Together Stays Together” and ‘A World At Prayer Is A World At Peace.’