The Home as the First Church
From the beginning, the Church was formed from believers "and their whole household." New believers wanted their family to be saved (Acts 18:8).
In our modern world (often hostile to religion), religious families are extremely important centers of living faith. They are "domestic churches" in which the parents are the first heralds of faith (Second Vatican Council). In the home, father, mother, and children exercise their baptismal priesthood in a privileged way. The home is the first school of the Christian life where all learn love, repeated forgiveness, and prayerful worship.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Simplified (1655-1657)
