Praying in the kitchen, living room, at the entrance, of course without neglecting the closet and the bathroom –This is the spiritual itinerary, for valuing all the spaces in the home, developed by Eugenio and Chiara in order to teach their children not to separate the relationship with the world and the one with the Lord into two opposed spheres. This is why –the couple explains– “in every room and in every action accomplished by each member of the family God can be present. The history of every family is sacred history, certainly not because it could be considered perfect, but as a story inhabited by God, by love, and this awareness makes the life of every family into a liturgy.” There are special moments, when a fixed, repeated sign allows you to experience together the life-giving presence of the Lord.
Both engaged in Azione Cattolica, and strongly inspired by the talk given by Father Jesus Castellano Cervera to a week of study focused on the theme “The Home, a Workshop of Holiness,” and so the couple has decided to follow the path suggested by this priest and to identify seven liturgical moments connected to the same number of places in the house.
This task was successfully carried out by deciding to live the communion of spiritual and materials goods in the kitchen during the meals; seeing to the good order and harmony in the closet containing everything necessary for housekeeping; love for life in the body (health and illness) in the bathroom; a house with an open entrance (witness and apostolate); the world in the house and the house in the world, beside the television; growth in wisdom with each other, in the living room. All these topics, adaptable to the needs of every family who wants to follow the example of Eugenio and Chiara, are then put into practice creatively through games, stories, dialogue and prayer. For example, in the kitchen, where in addition sharing the meals, the family members talk together about what happened in the course of the day, before sitting down to eat, one might tell the story of a saint who characterizes the gratuitous gift to another, for example the story of St. Martin of Tours and his famous cloak, and then read a Gospel passage that corresponds to the particular liturgical moment. Finally, the Our Father will be the concluding prayer.

Information Card
1. Heaven in the Family. Short Family Liturgies
Category: Prayer in the Family
Realm of experience: Azione Cattolica Italiana Area Family and Life
Country: Italy
Location reference: Diocese of Ferrara-Comacchio
Contact (Azione Cattolica Italiana Area Famiglia e Vita):
Via Aurelia, 481 - 00165 Rome
Tel +39 06 66132 1
Fax +39 06 66132 360
E-mail: areafamigliaevita@azionecattolica.it
Website: www.azionecattolica.it