The most perfect family prayer is the Sunday Mass when the various families in the community express their faith with the parish family and with the Church of God throughout the world. Recent use of the Do this in memory of me program in many parishes have developed this sense of belonging to a wider family and deepened the commitment of many families, schools and parishes.

Some resources are being prepared to develop this sense of family prayer.

In the meantime, the passage below is reproduced from the Bishops' Pastoral letter of 1980 "Handing on the Faith in the home."

Little children love to pray. They pray quite naturally, because God is very real for them and very close for them. But if they are to stay praying as adults, prayer must be part of their home life, from their earliest years, and not just of school life.

Parents, the most essential part of teaching religion to your children is to teach them to pray. You will teach them to pray, not by telling them to pray, not by scolding them if they don't say their prayers. You will teach them to pray more by praying with them.

Don't just tell your children: "Go off to bed now and don't forget to say your prayers." Instead say: "We will say our prayers now."

Pray with your young children. Pray with your older children. Be seen praying by your children. If prayer is important for you, it will be seen as important by your children. Parents who pray, homes that pray, prepare a praying generation for the future.

In fact, you parents will learn about praying yourselves by praying with your children.

Little children are very close to God. Didn't Our Lord say: "The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to little children."

Your children will bring you also closer to God. Children often understand God better than grown-ups do. Their ways of praying can teach us all a lot about how to pray.

full text of 1980 Pastoral letter is available here