Parishioner Kristine Breault Reflec
A Life L
ast spring, the global pandemic whether or not their home life that began changing the way with their two young daughters — people live — and worship — was Virginia was almost 3 years old and an entirely unprecedented event. Teresa almost 1 — reflected that With public Masses suspended, “community of grace and prayer” Catholics the world over were forced described in the Catechism. to reimagine a faith life away from “Things were hard at home,” the sacraments and rituals that are Kristine says. “I had the same attitude so integral to our experience of the toward motherhood that I had with Church. This transition was certainly work, which was to have a schedule not easy, but for many Our Lady of and be rigorous with it. Then all that the Assumption families, it came just came to a halt, and I just didn’t like with a hidden blessing — a revival of the lack of joy that was in my home the domestic church. when we should have been having The importance of the domestic a great time. I was saying unkind Dennis and Kristine Breault with church is highlighted in the things to my kids, and I realized that their daughters, Virginia and Teresa Catechism of the Catholic Church, the culture of busyness had disguised which states, “The Christian home a school of human virtues and of the way we were all treating each is the place where children receive Christian charity” (CCC, 1666). other before because we could just With the sudden quiet and move on to the next activity without the first proclamation of the faith. For this reason, the family home is stillness that came with the pandemic really having to confront any of it.” rightly called ‘the domestic church,’ last March, parishioners Kristine and After deciding they needed a Dennis Breault began to question a community of grace and prayer, change, Kristine and Dennis began
“Of all the things I think the domestic church looks like now, the biggest one is bringing sacred silence into your home. During those silent moments, it just translated into us offering all our brokenness. I started offering my desire to be a good mother and partner, and then it started clarifying itself.” — Kristine Breault 4
