What is the Light-Life/Domestic Church Movement?
The Light-Life Movement, founded in Poland by Servant of God, Fr. Franciszeck Blachnicki in 1973, with the guidance, support, and influence of his bishop, Karol Wojtyla (soon to be Pope St. John Paul II), offers couples the great gift of "conjugal spirituality."
Originally created for young adults in Poland, to provide them with a foundation in their Catholic faith amidst the Communist threat, Light-Life was then developed for married couples as the Domestic Church Movement to truly come to grow in their knowledge and experience of Christ and His Church.
More information can be found at www.domesticchurchfamilies.com
Photos from our first Couple's Retreat
Couples outside the Conception Basilica following the closing Mass.
The chapel where we gathered each day for morning prayer.
The "official" retreat photo.
The Basilica entrance.
The Basilica interior.
The Basilica ceiling.
The Basilica green.
The retreat center.
The Seven Promises
In the initial retreat, couples are invited to commit together to living 7 Promises. The beauty of these "promises," or commitments, is that they aren't specific prayers, Scripture passages, or structures that a member commits to pray as individual, as a couple, or with their family, but the movement provides formation, using the Church's spiritual tradition and official teachings, for how to pray, how to use Scripture in prayer, and how to grow in a real relationship with God, our spouses, and our children in light of our Baptism.
This commitment is to step outside of the activities of the day everyday to a separate, quiet space to do nothing but enter into the presence of God.
In a quiet, separate space, the individual takes advantage of the gift of the living Word of God to commune with Him and come to internalize what He reveals through the Holy Spirit during that time each day.
The couple takes time each day to share intimate and open prayer. There is no length of time or other regulation set on this prayer, but formation focuses on overcoming the obstacles to making real, intimate couple prayer a daily habit.
The formation regarding family prayer time focuses on setting aside time each day, making sure each member is able to participate and
benefit.
This is a three-way conversation--both spouses and God. It is a few hours of scheduled, uninterrupted time so they may deepen their understanding of one another and of God’s will for their lives.
Particularly in connection with monthly dialogues, each couple decides upon specific changes or policies they will put in place in their individual lives, their marriage, and their household that reflect God’s specific will for them.
Family life benefits from an annual retreat. The initial Light-Life Retreat is for the married couple only. Future retreats involve are family retreats, so the kids come, too.
Due to COVID related limitations and restrictions we are currently planning to hold several alternate-format retreats at parishes.
These retreats will involve attending 2 Saturdays and no overnight stays. Eliminating overnight stays will ease the burden for parents needing to obtain childcare and will make it possible to reduce the cost of the retreat while also assisting our efforts to adhere to current COVID safety measures. This new format has been approved by the national leadership of the Domestic Church Movement.
COST:
$75 per couple* -includes light breakfast, lunch, and dinner on the first Saturday, and light breakfast and lunch on the second Saturday. Scholarship funding is available. NO couple will be turned away due to financial need.
Please contact the Office of the Domestic Church and Discipleship for more information: family@diocesekcsj.org
*Please contact Kristen Marquis at marquis@diocesekcsj.org if you would like to discuss deferred payment options or scholarships.
To express your interest in hosting one of these alternate-format retreats at your parish, please contact Dino Durando at durando@diocesekcsj.org.
Register for a Light-Life Married Couples Retreat
Q & A
Q: Is the Light-Life/Domestic Church movement officially recognized by the Catholic Church?
A: Yes, it is recognized by the Pontifical Council for the Laity.
Q: This sounds wonderful, but what are the time commitments? My family is already involved in so many different things.
A: One of the attractive aspects of Domestic Church is that couples only meet with their circles once a month.
The rest of the work is done in your home with your spouse and family. Meetings don’t get us closer to God and one another; prayer, intentional use of our time, and the grace and mercy of God are what make the difference!
Q: How does a couple take advantage of Domestic Church formation? How do you start?
A: The normal way a couple starts is by attending a couples formation retreat. That’s the first step. It’s a weekend retreat, from Friday morning through Sunday at noon.
Q: At what age are we too old, or too young, to join the Light-Life/Domestic Church Movement?
A: There are no age restrictions, and we have found that couples of all ages are deeply affected and grateful for the gifts received through Light + Life formation. We have newlyweds in their early 20’s on up to couples in their 70’s and everything in between; there are couples with young children, those with children out of the home, and those with no children. The circles are usually a mixture of all of these, and that mixture has been an awesome gift for all involved.
Q: Getting a priest to commit to joining a circle seems like it would be difficult. Is it really possible to have a priest in every circle?
A: We have found that once priests see what Light-Life is about, and that their role is one of presence and fatherly guidance rather than full-on leadership, it becomes much more attractive.