About Us, January 1, 2018


Catherine and Peter Fournier

We are Peter and Catherine Fournier and friends. We started Domestic-Church.Com on December 1, 1997 — awhile ago now. For the first few years we published several articles a week but layoffs, losing the pension, and other events typical of family life in the domestic church intervened and as of about 2008 we let this site go fallow.

Our original inspiration came from a family retreat center in the upper Ottawa Valley called the Nazareth Family Apostolate. The center was based on the teachings of Saint Pope John-Paul II in his "Familiaris Consortio — The Role of the Christian Family in the Modern World" and "Humanae Vitae" by Pope Paul VI.

Since our launch in 1997 many things have happened. We have had more writings by Saint John Paul II to read and think about as well as other publications by Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, especially "Amoris Laetitia (the Joy of Love)"

We hope, God willing, to publish many more articles, stories, essays, family activities (Fridge Art), saint stories and stewardship in the family items over the coming years. We hope you can come along for the ride.

If you would like to contribute your own insights, tips, techniques or anything else please feel free to contact us here. Please understand that we cannot pay you for your contribution and also please understand that we have a rule: what we publish conforms to the official teachings of the Catholic Church. Articles, essays and stories should all be true, in letter and in spirit, to the teaching of the Catholic Church.

Why impose such a restriction? Because we have found that the teachings of the Catholic Church on matters of family life are the best possible rules for life for all the members of a family. They are a summary of an adequate anthropology of the human person at all stages of life. And, like all truly good rules, they provide everyone in the family the freedom to grow, mature, and in time become wise both in the secular and the spiritual realms.

As Saint John Paul II said "Family, Become What You Are". Good advice indeed.

Peter and Catherine Fournier,
January 1, 2018,
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.




The original "Welcome/About Us" page, December 1, 1997

So, what is a 'Domestic Church'?

by Catherine and Peter Fournier

"The Christian family … can and should be called 'the domestic Church'"
(Familiaris Consortio, John Paul II, 1981)

"It will be their task to foster among the faithful a lively sense of solidarity, to favor a manner of living inspired by the Gospel and by the faith of the Church, ... a true source of light and a wholesome leaven for other families." (Familiaris Consortio #72) This is the inspiration for Domestic-Church.Com, and our guide as we choose materials for inclusion in this web site.

It's a powerful idea. One that has the potential to transform your faith, and your family. We hope you have come to this site because this word, this idea, intrigues you and because you want to transform your family and home into a domestic church. We hope that Domestic-Church.Com will provide a way for each of you to discover the incarnated Christ, the fulfillment of the prophecy of your marriage ceremony and the promise of eternal life in your own homes and families.

We hope you find what you are looking for here. We plan, over time, to gather together resources and links; pass on the advice of experienced and learned people; examine relevant encyclicals; present family-tested activities and crafts; review books, movies, and educational institutions; open and encourage discussion of the millions of issues facing Catholic families today; supply references and materials; share stories and humor; and transform society, one domestic church at a time.

It'll take time. Of course, we still need your help too. We need to hear your stories, your ideas, your family traditions, your meditations and insights. Only by sharing, and building together will our domestic churches restore our culture and society. Please be patient, visit often and contribute what you know, so we all can learn.

Peter and Catherine Fournier,
December 1, 1997,
Waba (near White Lake near Ottawa), Ontario, Canada.