We recently got back from the National Eucharistic Congress, which was a breathtaking series of encounters that comes down to one word: REVIVAL. The Church has placed our Eucharistic Lord at the center of our community’s and country’s hope for renewal, and now it is up to each one of us to ask ourselves, “How will I bring Him to this needy world?”

Closer to home, we are deeply encouraged by the pace of growth of the Trinity House Community Groups, which are all about revival in your home and family. Revival in your marriage. Revival in your parish and community.  

In 2021-22, we saw the first sparks at a couple of parishes in northern Virginia. Today, Trinity House Community Groups are fanning the flames of revival at nearly 25 parishes in VA, MD, CO, FL, MI, IN, TX, NH, and Puerto Rico. And these flames rely on parents and grandparents like you who not only want to see their kids and grandkids receive the faith, but also look at the state of the wider Church and country and feel called to help. 

How does a Trinity House Community Group work? Organized by a core team of parents and grandparents who collaborate with parish or school staff, families gather five times per year, usually on Saturday evenings every other month during the school year. After an early dinner and fellowship, volunteers engage kids with faith-based crafts, videos, or games while parents enjoy a short video and connect with each other during table discussions. Then, families reconvene for fellowship and dessert, while those with earlier bedtimes head home.

The result? Parents call it “the missing link” for living out the faith or an inspiring “date night and family night” rolled into one. The spiritual fruit from attending just one, two or five Heaven in Your Home Gatherings includes:

• Couples and families forging new friendships and strengthening old ones. 
• Inspired parents equipped with strategies to strengthen their marriage and family life and find heaven in their home.
• Children excitedly asking their parents, “When is the next ‘Heaven in Your Home party’?” 

So today, with this call for revival and renewal made fresh by the pivotal National Eucharistic Congress, we’d like to ask you: Will you take a proactive role in starting a Trinity House Community Group at your parish in 2024-25?

We realize that may sound like a tall ask, especially when:

• Busyness seems to define our lives.
• Fewer and fewer parish leaders (the “3 percent”) seem to be taking on more and more volunteering.
• Parish staff and budgets are stretched thin. 
• Our first priority is and ought to be our family…and not taking on “one more thing.”

So why even bother you with this question? Because the spiritual fruit we’re seeing from the Groups suggests they are not just “one more thing” and it’s worth pushing past the obstacles. And as multiple Group participants who have launched a Group in their parish are sharing, “It was much easier than we thought.”

And most of the growth we’ve just mentioned? It’s happening by word of mouth. Yes, the visibility of our new 80-second Groups trailer video and our recent book Heaven in Your Home Letters & Guide: Inspiration & Tools for Building a Trinity House is helping. Yes, the recent coverage in the Catholic Review, Arlington Catholic Herald, Catholic News Agency, National Catholic Register, Aleteia, and Cordial Catholic (over 1K views on YouTube) has been amazingly helpful. 

But because we’re still in start-up mode, our digital marketing is behind. We’re not working with any media or communications firms. The truth is, more and more families are being blessed by Trinity House Community Groups because individuals like you got the ball rolling…through a text, email, phone call, a conversation over coffee… Here are just two examples:

James & Martha

• James and Martha sensed a two-fold need: for a spiritual “reset” for their family, and for better friendship and community with other families at their parish. They heard about a Group at a nearby parish, visited, and were blessed. Then they approached their pastor and Director of Religious Education. When the inevitable question of “Who’s going to run it?” came up, they said, “We’ve already got a core team of 5 couples ready to do this.” They launched that fall.

Chris & Jodi 

• Chris and Jodi are empty nesters and grandparents with a passion for mentoring young families. They saw that the 5 annual Heaven in Your Home Gatherings were the right fit for the kind of time they had available in their already busy lives. So on a summer evening in 2023, they hosted a handful of families from their parish. The Groups’ plug-and-play approach just needs a few couples who can help with marketing, admin, welcoming, childcare and refreshments. They shared what was on their hearts and asked, “Who’s in?” In a few short months, the Group hosted their first Gathering with over 100 attendees.    

These are amazing stories, and you’ll find more on our YouTube page. What’s more, we have a great blessing to share: multiple pastors and diocesan Family Life Directors have told us: “I’m in…we’ll subscribe if a core team steps forward.”  

So, back to our question: Will you take a proactive role in starting a Trinity House Community Group at your parish in ’24-25 (a late Sept. launch or an Oct., Nov., or Jan. launch is definitely possible)? Here are three simple ways (ranging from easy to challenging), and we invite you to choose one:

1. The Easy Nudge: Send an email or text to your parish DRE, Principal, Pastor, Permanent Deacon, or other staff, and in your own words, suggest, “Hey, this looks interesting. Have we considered this for families at our parish?” Alternatively, reach out to another couple to say, “Hey, would you be interested in getting something like this off the ground later this fall or in January?”

2. The James & Martha: Reach out to your DRE or pastor to ask, “Can I get 30 minutes with you in the next few weeks to talk about this possibility for our parish?”

3. Chris & Jodi-Style: Host a handful of prospective “core team” couples at your home. Share what’s on your heart, and discern together whether the time is right to launch a Group.

And we can’t help but share three more specialized approaches too:

• The Philanthropist Approach: Perhaps you’re not in a position for #1-3, but you’d still like to see this happen at your parish. Consider sending an email to your Pastor, DRE or school principal to say, “I’d be happy to cover the $399 annual subscription fee to help make this happen.” 

• The Parish/Diocesan Staff Method: If you’re a DRE or parish/diocesan team member who would like to explore this possibility, you could send out an easy email to a list of couples you have in mind. You can find an email template here.

• The Knights of Columbus Way: If you’re one of the 1.9 million Knights, sponsor a subscription for your parish—and perhaps even make the dinners—as part of your Faith in Action efforts to strengthen the Family (e.g. Family Prayer Night or Family Fully Alive). And volunteer to handle the set-up & clean-up for the 5 events!

Do you have a question for us? Email us at sjohnson & ejohnson @trinityhousecommunity.org or grab a time on our calendar. Just a few days ago, a young couple with three kids 10 and under reached out to share, “Heaven in Your Home has been on our hearts for years, so we’d definitely be willing to take the lead and try it out at our parish!”

Praise God! Revival is happening as more and more people like this couple take the next step. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of thy faithful and kindle in them the fire of thy love!