BUILD COMMUNITY WITH
OTHER FAMILIES AND FIND HEAVEN IN YOUR HOME
We all want the best things in life for our families! But we often find ourselves struggling to balance material needs with wanting something so much more for our loved ones.
Trinity House offers an inspiring and practical model for Catholic family life. Build community among families in your parish or Catholic school and get the support you need to find heaven in your home!
“The Trinity House approach to finding ‘heaven in your home’ is grounded on two profound truths … The first truth is that God, the Holy Trinity, is a communion of persons. The second truth is that the family is also a communion of persons."
Most Rev. Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Arlington
TRINITY HOUSE IS THE MISSING LINK
Do you want the best things in life for your family? That’s an easy yes! But how often do we find ourselves struggling to balance our material needs with wanting something so much more for our loved ones? More time, more presence, more love, more hope, more joy, more unity, more peace.
We have the ideals of our Catholic faith, but how do we make them real in our day-to-day lives? Trinity House Community is the missing link. Now at parishes and schools across the US—we are a community of families who aim to support one another in making home a taste of heaven. Join us to dream of heaven in your home, build your own Trinity House, and share a life of communion with other families!
If you are a parent who wants to build community with other families, we’d love to help you get a Trinity House Community Group started at your parish or school! Our five-times-a-year gatherings give families the fellowship and formation they need to put their ideals into practice.
Based on the Trinity House Way, our inspiring and practical model for Catholic family life, our materials—videos, handouts, books, templates—will give you everything you need to get started! Read on to find out more about the Trinity House model for family life, its benefits, and how to host a group at your parish or school.
WATCH THE EASY STEPS TO LAUNCH A TRINITY HOUSE GROUP IN YOUR PARISH!
“Many hands make light work! Many people helping and being owners in the process has made this a really successful program for us.”
Nikki Volinsky
Parent & Group Coordinator
St. Rita’s Catholic Church & School
Alexandria, Virginia
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that the family is a communion of persons, an image of the Holy Trinity: “The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit.” (CCC, 2205) A Trinity House is a home in which the family’s ultimate goal is to continually increase their life of communion so that they become an ever more radiant image of God and their home becomes a taste of heaven that overflows into their neighborhood.
FAMILY LIFE
A family becomes an image of God by receiving God’s own life of interpersonal communion in the Eucharist and by protecting and growing this communion day-to-day as they move through the five levels of family life: Faith Life, in which they receive their communion; Person & Relationships, in which they deepen their communion; Household Economy, in which they care for their communion; Family Culture, in which they celebrate their communion; and Hospitality & Service, in which they share their taste of heaven with others.
"The vision that Soren and Ever have for building faithful Catholic families and communities is an inspiration. I believe that the continued success of this apostolate provides a model for the Domestic Church in action."
Supreme Knight
Knights of Columbus
- Key Practices: A key practice drives the building up of each level of a Trinity House. For Faith Life, the key practice is a Holy Sabbath. For Person & Relationships, it’s the weekly Date Night. For Household Economy, it’s the weekly Chore Day. For Family Culture, it’s a daily Family Meal. For Hospitality & Service, it’s One Outreach at a time.
- Key Places: A key place supports the development of each of the five levels of a Trinity House. For Faith Life the key place is the Home Altar. For Person & Relationships, it’s the Quiet Place. For Household Economy, it’s the Dedicated Workspace. For Family Culture, it’s the Kitchen Table. For Hospitality & Service, it’s Our Neighborhood.
- Key Principles: A key principle for each level helps parents get into the right mindset and spirit to build a true Trinity House. The key principle for Faith Life is Surrender. For Person & Relationships it's Presence. For Household Economy, it's Teamwork. For Family Culture, it's Initiative. For Hospitality & Service, it's Abundance.
- Trinity House Tools: Once the family has the three keys in place for each level, our model gives guidance on how to use a variety of tools—like personal and family prayer, theology of the body, personality typing and communication styles, charism discernment, budgeting and housework tips, liturgical living, and hospitality—to continue building up their Trinity House!
Instant Relevance. Friendship & Community. Simple Expectations.
RELEVANCE
The Trinity House model centers on how the family is a communion of persons in the image of the Holy Trinity. The relevance of the model for the family’s highest ideal — to increase communion with each other — is immediately clear.
COMMUNITY
The Gathering format gives busy families what they want—not lengthy talks and loads of homework—but friendship & community in a primarily social setting. Families receive formation, but in a context that starts by fulfilling their felt needs.
EXPECTATIONS
Families and parishes have limited resources with which to undertake this critical work. That’s why the Gatherings use a simple, intuitive format. And meeting 5 times a year feels like something busy families and parishes can manage.
“As our young people transition into a new stage in life with marriages and families, there is a gap,” said Father Michael Weibley, O.P., whose Sts. Philip & James in Baltimore now hosts a Trinity House Community Group. “We had nothing specific to offer families. The challenge is, how can they live the faith in their homes?”
- training and ongoing support
- group formation guide
- event planning guide
- marketing templates
- supply lists
- event leader guide
- video presentations
- small group discussion questions
- Heaven in Your Home Flowchart for families
- access to online videos and toolkits for families who want more
Families can purchase supplemental materials separately—The Heaven in Your Home Letters & Guide, a book series which includes resources for the five yearly Gatherings and lots more inspiration for building a Trinity House, is available on Amazon. Purchasing the books is not necessary to participate in the Gatherings.
- Parishes pay an annual subscription fee to Trinity House Community of $499. Participating dioceses may offer diocesan-wide rates to individual parishes.
- Other costs will vary from parish to parish, but can include printing, paper goods, and food.
- The subscription fee and other costs can be offset in a number of ways: by putting out a donation basket at events, by asking the Knights of Columbus to cover some of the cost as part of their Family Program obligation, by asking the families to bring potluck for dinner or drinks and desserts, etc.
“Soren and Ever stay down to earth about the messiness of family life while at the same time opening our hearts towards a more beautiful vision. They help us in the gap between reality and what we strive towards, providing tools and encouragement in the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Falls Church, VA
