“Ever & Soren have grounded Trinity House’s approach to finding ‘heaven in your home’ 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 Burbidge,
Bishop of Arlington
A Better Way to Help Families Live Out & Pass On the Faith
Whether you are a parent or a parish staff member, you know that in this cultural climate, CATHOLIC FAMILIES NEED FORMATION AND SUPPORT to be able to live out and pass on the faith. Absent these goods, they will continue to fall away from the faith in great numbers. That is common knowledge in the Church of today.
But there is another fact we must accept in order to successfully address this problem. And that is the reality that FAMILIES AND PARISHES HAVE VERY LIMITED RESOURCES—focus, time, money—with which to accomplish this critical work. So, we must “work smarter, not harder.”
We must find the most appealing, relevant, and simplest way to help families. Any ministry model that lacks these qualities will quickly fail under its own weight. That’s why the TRINITY HOUSE COMMUNITY GOES STRAIGHT TO THE HEART OF WHAT FAMILIES NEED MOST, opens the door, and lets God do the rest.
The Trinity House Community facilitates parents and parish staff working together to give families the formation and support they need. If you would like to see the Trinity House model used at your parish, please forward a link to this page to your pastor, Director of Religious Education, or Catholic school principal and ask for a meeting to discuss helping families!
Clear 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 indisputable.
COMMUNITY
The Gathering format gives busy families what they want—not lengthy talks and loads of homework—but friendship and 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 launched their Trinity House Community Group last fall. “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, which includes resources for the five yearly Gatherings, Trinity Icon holy cards, laminated flowcharts , and faith-inspired home goods. But these materials are not necessary to participate in the events.
- 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.
“The workshop was a true inspiration. 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
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 perfect image of God and their home becomes a taste of heaven that overflows into their neighborhood.
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."
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.
