The Institute for Family Health and Well-Being
The Institute for Family Health and Well-being (IFHWB) was created in 2009 to encourage and support individuals, couples, and families to live lives that are fulfilling, enriching, and virtuous. The mission statement of IFHWB is "Helping you navigate the challenges of life and embrace the joy of living."
IFHWB is designed to help individuals, couples, families, and organizations align with living a virtuous life, which is a life consistent with the virtues identified by Aristotle and integrated into St. Paul's writings. The four cardinal virtues which are prudence, or practical wisdom; temperance, or self-control; fortitude, or courage; and justice, or doing the right and good thing.
Catholic families, and Christian families, are perfectly situated to live a virtuous life:
- they follow the sacraments;
- they are open to the guidance of the Catechism of the Catholic Church to guide them;
- they often send their children to Catholic schools, making the sacrifices required to do so; and if they do not, they provide virtuous role modeling at home;
- they attend Mass, or their Church Service, on a weekly basis, as well as often participate in Adoration, Bible Studies, or other opportunities to grow in holiness.
Living a virtuous life is a decision - it does not happen by accident. By choosing to align their lives with the teachings of Jesus Christ, as well as the Traditions of the Church, Catholic families, and Christian families, are in a unique position to influence the culture in a positive, uplifting, and holy way.
Please think about the following statements to help you and your family live a virtuous life:
1.) Living a virtuous life helps us feel good about our decisions and actions every day.
2.) The virtuous life is our pathway to heaven.
3.) We must stand firmly for what you know is right and good.
4.) We must teach virtuous living to our children through being a good example.
5.) A virtuous family encourages the children to make good decisions.
6.) The qualities of a virtuous father and mother consist of the cardinal and theological virtues, which are actively chosen each day.
7.) A virtuous adolescent understands the importance of making the right and good decisions they face each day.
9.) A virtuous child is growing in understanding and holiness every day, through the examples adults set for them.
10.) We must all help create a virtuous world!!
Household Holiness: Family Blessings Moment by Moment: Becoming a Means of Christ's Presence in the World is a book for women to help them find the moments of grace within each day. The book has been written in a Retreat Format and asks each woman to participate at the level of her own comfort. It is designed to provide an opportunity for each woman to answer important questions about her own life and to share her responses with other women to the level she feels comfortable. She may feel best just listening and not sharing a great deal. She may feel that sharing her responses with others is her way of learning.
Household Holiness is designed to help us learn to live a virtuous life. I am putting the finishing touches on the book for the editor this week!
Connections:
Catholic Christian Faith-Based Parenting Skills
Coming Soon!!
Making good moral decisions is difficult for all people, but especially for our young people who are continually influenced by social media. Connections teaches the concepts of conscience and character to 10-13 year-olds. Parents are the primary educators of their children with regard to moral development. This program is presented to parents through a church setting and then presented to the young people by the parents at home. There is guidance all throughout the teaching program and feedback has been tremendous!
Let God be your refuge and your strength today!
I wish you all well as we approach this new phase of American life and life as a citizen of a changed world. We have entered into a new phase of humanity and we must reach out for timeless principles to help guide us through this difficult time.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with questions or comments.
If you have questions, please contact me at 651-208-9829 or ksoucheray@ifhwb.com.
Thank you and God bless you all, Kate
I am available as a speaker for Schools, Teacher and Principal Trainings, Parent Groups, Women's Groups, Cana Dinners, Retreats, and Evenings of Renewal.
Please ask me about the trainings I lead titled:
"Multicultural Competency Training Day."
This Multicultural Competency Training is designed to help employees, members of a group, or parishioners of a church learn to become multiculturally competent. We are not expected to become multicultural experts, but rather to develop a competency, with regard to interacting with people of cultures different from our own.
Please reach out to me and ask about these day-long trainings that enhance our awareness, sensitivity, responsiveness, competency, and humility when working with multicultural groups.