In 2020, the Archdiocese of Detroit launched a faith accompaniment tool that has become so popular that they are now opening it up to families outside the archdiocese. Called 52 Sundays, this resource is helping Catholic families make the most of their Sunday worship, while reinforcing the weekly lessons as well as many aspects of the faith, for the little ones. This worthy program will be available online, free of charge, beginning in 2023.
52 Sundays
Complete with guidebooks brimming with activities, prayers, recipes, and introductions of the saints, 52 Sundays practically places a whole religious ed curriculum at parents' fingertips. The program offers content to support and extend the lessons of each Sunday Mass of the year and provides tips to set the entire day apart for God.
Launching online in 2023, 52 Sundays will be available in both English and Spanish. The program encourages families to engage with all of their content, but they also note that it can be taken at a family's own pace. They note that the nature of online content allows families to easily pick and choose the content that will work best for them.
Speaking with Detroit Catholic, Tara Stenger, family ministry coordinator and engagement support, said of 52 Sundays:
“We realized the place to start was Sunday at Mass, and families just needed a tool to help encourage as well as help them go deeper. So whether a family isn’t really engaged on Sundays and is just looking to do something, or whether they [are] super engaged and looking to do more, we wanted to create a resource that would meet them wherever they were.”
Podcast
Also coming in 2023 is a new podcast that will support the 52 Sundays program. Titled Beyond Sunday, this podcast will be hosted by Nicole Joyce, associate director of family ministry for the Archdiocese of Detroit, and Rakhi McCormick, mission and outreach director for Guardian Angels Parish and school in Clawson.
Both Joyce and McCormick are mothers themselves and their podcast will present real, impromptu discussions based on their own experiences as parents. McCormack described the podcast to Catholic Detroit:
“We want it to be real; we don't want to focus on lofty goals,” McCormick said. “We want people to be able to feel like wherever they are, there is something for them and that God is already present and working in their family.”
She went on to note that their conversations will include “true confessions” of their own failures to live up to the “ideals.” These authentic conversations are meant to convey that faith practice does not require perfection and that failures do not mean it’s impossible to incorporate the faith into daily life. McCormack said that she hopes the podcast will be a “breath of fresh air” for listeners. She added:
“We want to change, not lower the bar. We want to change the understanding of what it means to incorporate faith into the family.”
Participating in 52 Sundays is as easy as signing up for the weekly email. Those who do will receive all the resources for each week’s Mass right in their inbox, with directions on how to begin. Meanwhile, the podcast will be available on Unleash the Gospel.
