St. Patrick Family Ministry is guided by devotion to St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Since 2019, we find inspiration in St. Thérèse’s theology of “little ways” to show one’s love for God in the most menial as well as the most joyful of tasks. With the twin goals in mind of deepening our prayer life and cultivating the bonds of family (and not just community), Family Ministry hosts events in which sharing a feast or eating a simple pot of Lenten soup goes together with the making of prayerful crafts.

Family Ministry has created an array of new traditions for St. Patrick Church. One is the annual making of  “sacrifice beads”, a spiritual invention of St. Thérèse that enables the believer to transform the mundane, unpleasant or difficult challenges and tasks of life into deliberate gifts to God. Another tradition is the offering of a cooking school every summer. Under the banner of Stay, Pray and Cook!, we invite families, individuals and friends to gather into teams at separate, fully stocked cooking stations to make two to three recipes and listen to stories of the life of a particular saint or apparition of Our Blessed Mother.