Synod Implementation 2025-2026

Reclaiming the Lord’s Day

As we give focus to “Reclaiming Sundays,” we start with the importance of participating in Sunday Mass. Jesus Christ died so that we may have eternal life; God asks us to worship Him every Sunday (and Holy Day of Obligation) so that we can become the saints that He wants us to be. As Dr. Naughton of Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas likes to state, “If we don’t get Sundays right, we won’t get Mondays right.”

Actions for October
As a family, choose activities focused on recreation, leisure, and rest. Some examples of activities that help us to recreate (literally, “re-create”) well include reading a good (especially Catholic) book or newspaper (like The Catholic Spirit), going for a long walk or playing outside, playing a game (especially as a family), or doing a puzzle. It does not matter too much what the activity is, although there are limits to fruitfulness with screens (note: the focus in February will be about making Sundays low-tech).
As a family, refrain from house projects and tasks centered around productivity. If you need something like orange juice, it is not sinful to go to the store; however, avoid making Sundays a shopping day. If you like to garden, then go ahead and garden on Sundays; if you don’t like it, take a day-off. Similar things could be said for other household tasks.

To see more about Reclaiming Sundays, click here.