February 2026

“Jesus, Mary and St. Joseph, I give thee my heart and my soul.

Jesus, Mary and St. Joseph, assist me in my last agony.

Jesus, Mary and St. Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with thee.”

These were the last words I was able to whisper into my mother’s ear as she prepared to make her journey to eternity. The Doctor told us that she didn’t have long to live but that she could likely still hear those gathered around her in these last hours. Because I was unable to get to her bedside in time, my brother held his phone up to Mom’s ear so that I could say, “Thank you” and bid her a tearful farewell…for now. Without even rehearsing what I would say, I delved into my memory and launched into praying these prayers Mom herself had taught me. The gift of prayer she had given to me came back to her in her last moments.

What a lasting (even everlasting), impression we make upon our children! Although we may not always have the satisfaction of seeing the fruits of our spiritual labor for their souls, the seeds are planted! I witnessed this powerfully this past Saturday at the first gathering of our Chesterton Academy student-applicants. 

Early on the feast of St. John Bosco, January 31, our promising students assembled at the Parish of Santa Maria for a placement test, lunch, games and a visit to the Eucharistic Jesus in the Church. Our intention was to ask Him for His care and protection through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother. We prayed for ourselves, our families and all involved in making CASS possible, chose a scripture quote to ponder and presented roses to an image of Our Mother of Good Counsel. At the conclusion of our formal prayer, I invited the students to leave or stay for a time of private prayer. They all stayed. With heads bowed in prayerful silence they spent several minutes before the Blessed Sacrament. The strong sense I draw from their desire to stay is that prayer is familiar to them and that they have already begun developing a strong, spiritual foundation within their own families. This is an encouraging statement about the quality of the families of our young people who will be the founding class of the Chesterton Academy of St. Serra.

These two incidents usher us well into our February, Devotion of the Month – The Month of the Holy Family!  

This devotion presents the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph as the model of virtue of all Christian households. Devotion to the Holy Family grew significantly in the 1600’s in Canada and France. It soon spread more widely and in 1893, Pope Leo XIII expressed his approval of a feast under this title.  

In the words of His Holiness Pope Leo XIII, "Nothing truly can be more salutary or efficacious for Christian families to meditate upon than the example of this Holy Family, which embraces the perfection and completeness of all domestic virtues."

The Holy Family models for us what family life should exemplify. It is a school of virtue for both parents and children. There we find God and learn how to connect with God and with others. The family is where love is freely given without self-interest. It is where we learn to love, to pray and to practice the gift of charity. Pope John Paul II has said, “The family, more than any other human reality, is the place in which the person is loved for himself and in which he learns to live the sincere gift of self” (Chaput, Nov. 27, 2002).

We should ask ourselves if our own family models that of the Holy Family. We need to be open to God’s grace to value the positive and to accept our mistakes — and to be willing to rectify them. Parenting is a very challenging responsibility and at times errors are made despite the best intentions. Recognizing this, children should trust their parents and never forget that parents want only what is best for them.

Which leads us to what may be the most important family virtue — forgiveness. Living so intimately within the family nucleus naturally gives rise to unpleasant situations where someone is apt to be offended. St. Paul knew this when he told us to “bear with and forgive one another.”  The health of our family may depend on how quickly we learn to forgive without harboring feelings of resentment.  

No family can thrive and grow without constant work. Even the material details that take time and effort are essential to keeping the family strong. Everyone has to pull together for the good of the family — even to the point of putting ahead of our own needs and ambitions the happiness of other family members, setting aside our own selfish desires.  

It is also important to pray as a family, especially the Holy Rosary. Prayer will help us to

intensify our closeness with each other and to learn to forgive.

(Letter on the Family, No. 57). — Excerpted from The Holy Family models what family life should be, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.

Acknowledgements

Trinity Communications, 2026, Catholic Culture.org,

CatholicCulture,com: Liturgical Year,

https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/overviews/months/02_1.cfm