There is only one honor roll or hall of fame that matters: Heaven.
Whether your child makes the school honor roll, gets inducted into a sports hall of fame, or is accepted into a prestigious college, pales in comparison to entering eternal life.
The ultimate goal of every Catholic parent is to raise a saint. But this mission is not easy. It will cost you everything: years of prayer, hidden sufferings, many tears, and even misunderstandings. Yet the reward is eternal.
Here are five ways you can encourage your children to become saints:
1) Introduce Them to the Saints
To raise saints, you should first introduce your children to the saints—Heavenly friends who will never leave them. These holy men and women should be their role models, their intercessors, and their companions.
Celebrate the feast days of your children’s patron saints, and invoke them in daily prayers, especially after the Rosary. Visit and pray at the tombs of the saints. Remind your children that they are never alone. They have a whole army of saints in Heaven ready to help them on their journey.
2) Cultivate Your Child’s Uniqueness
Every saint is different, and so is every child. God made your child with a specific mission and personality. In my board book Saints Come in All Shapes and Sizes, I highlight how no two saints were exactly alike.
Some were loud, others quiet. Some wore shoes, others didn’t. Your child doesn’t necessarily need to act exactly like Saint Francis. They need to become the saint God is calling them to be.
Encourage their strengths, guide their temperament, and trust that God has equipped them with everything they need for holiness.
3) Read Stories of the Saints
Many saints, such as Saint Faustina and Saint Teresa of Calcutta, were inspired by reading the lives of other saints.
Fill your home with holy books. Read them together as a family. These stories are rich with examples of heroic virtue, sacrifice, and joy.
I was recently blessed to co-author Virtues of the Saints: 15 Heavenly Habits for Children with Fr. Donald Calloway. In it, we show how saints lived out specific virtues, offering children a practical and inspiring guide to holiness.
4) Sacraments and Prayer
The road to Heaven runs through the sacraments. As parents, it is our duty to bring our children to Christ through the Eucharist and Confession.
Many saints had devout parents who made the sacraments a priority. For instance, St. Gianna Molla’s parents brought her to daily Mass; St. Gemma Galgani went to weekly confession; St. Maria Goretti’s family prayed the Rosary every night.
Make your home a domestic church where the Sacred Heart and Immaculate Heart reign.
5) Model Virtue
Parents are the first vocation directors. Your children are watching how you live and love. How a husband and wife love each other forms the foundation for their children’s understanding of marriage, sacrifice, and joy.
When parents love generously, suffer joyfully, and forgive often, they set their home ablaze with the love of God. Let love saturate the walls of your home. The witness of your daily sacrifice will speak louder than any sermon.