The Community of the Holy Family


The Community of the Holy Family is a Private Association of the Faithful with the mission to promote and support the homesteading lifestyle for the healing of families and nature. Our particular spiritual charisms are Devotion to the Blessed Mother and Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

It is our intention to form a community within the community. The mission of this “nucleus community” will be to strengthen both our own families and those in the surrounding community. We will nurture the land to produce healthful food. We will build simple, inexpensive, but dignified homes out of natural materials found in the local area. We will continue to home educate our children, with a focus on learning and applying useful crafts.

To the community at large, we will be an example of faith-filled and loving families, share homesteading and self-sufficiency skills, provide co-operative opportunities for both the buying of raw materials and the selling of finished products, encourage spiritual growth through Community prayer and instruction in the faith, and pay particular attention to the marginalized of society.

OUR PLAN OF LIFE

The Community of the Holy Family is centrally focused on nurturing Christ's love in all families. In fidelity and obedience to the Magisterium of the Church, nourished by Her Sacraments, and in the rhythm of Her feasts and fasts, families will grow through praying and working together with a reverence for all life. Rural communities will be formed between the devotional pillars of Christ truly present in the Blessed Sacrament and Mary, Our Most Holy and Blessed Mother.

Family Prayer

Family prayer is essential for the family to grow in Christ. A minimum commitment to family prayer would include the family rosary, daily Mass where possible, and at least some participation in the Liturgy of the Hours. Individual prayer "in the quiet of one's room" is necessary as well as is a continual contemplation of God in one's work and interaction with others.

Community Prayer

The community will worship together and become active members at the local Catholic parish. The minimum required community prayer will be Sunday Mass, as is the Catholic Tradition. Other community prayer will be as the community feels inspired, with Daily Mass and special devotions to commemorate major Feast days being highly encouraged.

Family Work

Working together in charity creates bonds of love. Through working together, all members of the family feel useful and centered upon the needs of others. The parents, who are graced to instruct in great love and patience, can gently guide the children to ways of virtue and thoughts of God throughout their daily interaction. Therefore, one of the goals of this community is to enable families to work together, with the parents being at home and interacting with the children the majority of the time.

Community Work

Working together is a healthful, enjoyable and productive form of socializing and will be encouraged among the men, women and children of the community. Projects that benefit the most from the help of many hands, such as home building, barn building, quilting, etc., will be undertaken by the community as needed, with regular participation in such projects highly recommended.

The Setting

The perfect setting for families to grow in Christ's love is the family homestead within a community context. The rural nature of a homestead is conducive to contemplating God in all His works. The quiet and natural rhythm brings peace and joy to a man's heart. Being surrounded by his wife and children will encourage him on towards perfection and wisdom. The homestead provides countless opportunities for creative expression and industry from all members of the family.

The community can help support the economic feasibility of a rural lifestyle. It will also reinforce the parent's instruction for the children and provide all involved with greater opportunities for charity. It will form a strong nucleus of prayer and charity that can then permeate the surrounding community. As the family grows through prayer and work together, the community shall also grow through prayer and work together.

Reverence for All Life

The Community will uphold the utmost reverence for all life, particularly those most marginalized; the old, the sick, the poor, the unborn and the young. A generosity in family size will always be encouraged. Animals, plants and all natural resources will be treated with great respect and with consideration of future generations.

Ecology

We acknowledge that the cost of items purchased in stores is not reflecting their true cost to society through exploited workers and exploited natural resources. We also acknowledge that, specifically, plastics and chemicals are making the planet and our bodies sick, through their manufacture, their use and their disposal. Our consciences are waking up to this and we desire to free ourselves from the use of toxic materials as much as possible. Therefore, we will work towards alternatives by learning crafts such as pottery, metal-working and woodcrafting. We will strive to minimize the purchase of toxic goods, especially "new" items.

Dress

Dress is to be kept simple and modest, with a preference to natural materials. The community should strive to produce their own fiber and clothing.

Socializing within the Community

We desire to please God first in all of our interactions with each other. We want to be careful of temptations to build up an individual, especially at the expense of others. Therefore, these are a few guidelines for social interaction:
(1) In order to avoid "clique" forming, we will take the example of the Saints and seek out the company of those who most need us, not those whom we most enjoy.
(2) Parties and gifts will only be given for people in need. Housewarming, new baby, weddings and times of crisis or need are appropriate times for gifts. Ideally, the gifts will be homemade.

Hospitality

In keeping with the spirit of our Catholic Faith, we will always strive to be hospitable to all those who are seeking a place to stay, regardless of their faith.