from tanzania

I was born in a family of staunch and conservative Catholic parents. Every morning my father woke me up at 5 am for morning prayer, thereafter we proceeded to the parish for daily morning Mass at 6.30 am. Every evening after supper, we prayed the holy Rosary before sleeping. Some days I even dozed while reciting the Rosary, but my dad would not allow me to go to bed before completing the prayer. I therefore, owe my Catholic faith and the love for the Blessed Mother to my father who from my childhood, instilled in me the habit of daily prayer and of attending daily Mass. Now I feel proud to thank God for the gift of parental guidance that nurtured the seed of my vocation to religious life and gave my parents hope that I will grow as a God-fearing person in the future.

~ Rev. Fr. Temba Leopold, C.S.C., Ph.D.

Praying the holy Rosary and sharing the Word of God together, plus serving each other in the little ways at home are the elements that express love, hope, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ whom we believe in as the head of our family. With those virtues as the foundation of our relationships in our family, my parents would always manage to reconcile at times of misunderstandings in a way that made our family a home of happiness and joy at all times. Such an exemplary life of my parents has created in me a strong faith as a young catholic. I can confidently say that the virtue of the catholic faith, centered on the Eucharist and the intercession of Mary our Blessed Mother gives me hope that like my parents I will be able to raise a God-fearing family in the near future. 

~ Prince King

Family prayer is an attribute that describes my family. Since my childhood, reciting the holy Rosary was a recipe that defined our evenings as a family. Even on the days when we were tired, still our parents would not allow us to sleep without praying for at least a few decades of the holy Rosary. Such parental guidance instilled in me the habit of praying at all times, an aspect that revitalized me during my difficult moments at the University. Daily prayer and in particular the holy Rosary energized and gave me hope especially at the moments of sickness when I felt as if God had abandoned me. As I remember the barriers in life, which I overcame through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, I can confidently reiterate that, “the holy Rosary is a powerful prayer in my hands.”  

~ Gratiana Kitime

With great confidence I can affirm that the kind of a person I am today, as a staunch Catholic, my family is the cradle of everything. The gifts of faith, hope, and Catholic prayer life I received from my parents is the foundation of my family today that I can describe as a young ‘domestic church.’ As young parents, my wife and I feel proud to hand on to our children a prayer life full of theological virtues of faith, hope, and love, elements which strengthen their aspirations and relationships with others at school. As we look at our children growing steadily while trusting in the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I feel proud of the prayer of the holy Rosary as a powerful Christian prayer. 

~ Jerome Mmassy

The Second Vatican Council describes the family that believes and radiates a living faith in our Lord Jesus Christ as Ecclesia domestica. This is a family which is built on prayer, faith, hope, and love. These virtues have been a seedbed for the upbringing of my children. Teaching them to pray the holy Rosary and trusting in the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, have given our children an impetus to believe, obey, trust, and even have confidence in us as their parents.  As a result, they are focused at school and always have good relationships with their colleagues at school and the neighbourhood at home. For that reason, I confidently affirm that cultivating a life of prayer at home has assisted me in raising my children as God fearing and responsible citizens. 

~ Scholastica Masanja