Katie Warner | Catholic Author, Speaker, Evangelist
David Carvalho | Diocese of Fall River
This article summarizes insights from Catholic Author, Speaker and Evangelist Katie Warner shared with the Diocese of Fall River on practical ideas for family faith. To watch the presentation in its entirety, visit: https://www.youtube.com/@equipcatholics
Katie Warner is a Catholic wife, homeschooling mom of five, writer, and speaker who is passionate about helping families live vibrant, faith-filled lives. Known for her bestselling Catholic children’s books, Katie equips parents with practical strategies and creative resources to nurture faith at home. Katie has spoken at major Catholic conferences and media platforms, including EWTN, the National Catholic Bible Conference, and the Augustine Institute’s Symbolon and Opening the Word series. Katie holds a graduate degree in Catholic Theology from the Augustine Institute. Learn more about her work at https://katiewarner.com/
In an age when family schedules are increasingly packed and the distractions of modern life are endless, the task of nurturing faith in the home can feel daunting. Yet the home remains the domestic church, the first and most vital environment where faith is taught, nurtured, and witnessed. Catholic author and speaker Katie Warner provides parents with a treasure trove of practical ideas to intentionally live out the faith with their families in everyday life. With her characteristic warmth, wit, and wisdom, Warner outlines four core strategies for spiritual leadership in the home: defining a mission, prioritizing prayer, growing in virtue, and living Catholic culture.
1. Define a Mission: The Power of Purpose
Just as successful businesses operate with a mission statement, families too can thrive when they identify a shared purpose. Katie Warner encourages families to move away from aimlessness and develop a clearly articulated mission. This mission serves as a compass to guide family decisions, values, and practices.
Drawing inspiration from Patrick Lencioni’s book The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family, Warner notes that couples benefit immensely from applying strategic planning techniques used in business to family life. The idea is not to turn your home into a corporation, but to be intentional. What values matter most to your family? What do you hope your children will carry into adulthood? These foundational questions help parents shape a vision for their family that they can live by day-to-day.
Katie and her husband created a mission statement and set of core values, now proudly displayed in their home. It guides everything from how they prioritize their time to the conversations they have with their children. The process itself—discussing hopes, challenges, and goals—becomes a powerful act of unity and leadership.
Pro tip: Turn this into a family activity. Host a “mission night” with your spouse or children. Ask, “What makes our family unique?” and “How do we want to serve God together?” The answers may surprise and inspire you.
2. Prioritize Prayer: The Cornerstone of Catholic Life
Warner suggests that families treat prayer with the same necessity as eating meals. Rarely would a family skip breakfast or dinner, and yet prayer often falls to the wayside. Making prayer a daily, non-negotiable part of family life helps anchor children in their faith.
Mass attendance is, of course, the pinnacle. But beyond the Sunday obligation, Warner shares ideas for integrating prayer throughout the week:
- Pray together daily, ideally in the morning and before bed.
- Read Mass readings in the car on the way to church. This not only prepares hearts for the liturgy but gives children a framework for active participation.
- Practice silence and adoration. Warner teaches her children to “listen for God” in quiet moments, modeling after Elijah’s encounter with the still, small voice of the Lord. These early habits can lay the groundwork for deeper prayer lives in adulthood.
- Engage the senses in prayer. Light candles, use icons or images of the mysteries of the Rosary, play sacred music, or incorporate motion (like dancing to Marian hymns) to capture the hearts of younger children.
A favorite tool in the Warner household is the prayer jar. Family members add intentions on slips of paper, and during Rosary time, they draw out and pray for specific needs. It’s a simple yet effective way to keep prayer dynamic and personal.
Importantly, Warner reminds parents: you cannot give what you do not have. A rich personal prayer life is the well from which family prayer flows.
3. Grow in Virtue Together: Living the Gospel Daily
Virtue formation isn’t just for the saints—it’s for families. Warner encourages parents to view virtue as the key component of spiritual leadership. Virtue must first be modeled by the parents and then taught to children in real-life situations.
To grow in virtue together:
- Model what you want to see. Patience in parenting, generosity toward a spouse, and humility in conflict speak louder than lectures.
- Name virtues and vices aloud. Children learn more easily when they can identify behaviors with specific terms. “That was a great example of fortitude!” or “Let’s work on patience in this situation.”
- Use stories and books as springboards. Warner suggests labeling virtues and vices while reading picture books or novels aloud. Good literature becomes a classroom for character formation.
A particularly powerful tool in the Warner home is the Marian Virtues chaplet. The ten evangelical virtues of Mary—purity, prudence, humility, faithfulness, devotion, obedience, poverty, patience, mercy, and sorrow—offer rich soil for spiritual reflection and imitation. Warner focuses especially on the purity of intention, encouraging parents to ask themselves: Why am I doing this? Is my heart directed toward God?
Children, too, can be encouraged to pick a virtue to focus on each month and to celebrate progress as they grow.
4. Live Catholic Culture in the Home
Living Catholic culture doesn’t require a Pinterest-worthy craft or a new feast day celebration every day. According to Warner, it’s more about the “being” than the “doing.” That said, she offers many approachable ways to weave the liturgical year into family life.
Start simple:
- Celebrate baptism anniversaries with a special meal, singing, and renewing baptismal promises.
- Honor Marian feast days with blue decorations, rosaries, and treats.
- Observe devotions tied to the day of the week (e.g., Friday for the Sacred Heart, Saturday for Mary).
Warner stresses that faith should be woven into everyday life—not reserved for church or formal religion classes. Incorporate prayer at mealtimes and bedtime, read saint stories or Scripture together, and talk about what you believe and why during car rides and dinner conversations.
For families who homeschool or who want to extend learning at home, Warner suggests “tea time theology”—sitting around the table for a snack, reading, and faith discussions. It can be adapted for any family structure and is an easy way to deepen faith with joy.
Sacred Sundays and Intentional Rest
One of Warner’s most countercultural yet crucial suggestions is to reclaim Sunday as a sacred day. In a culture that increasingly treats Sunday like any other, restoring it as a day of rest, worship, and family can radically impact home life.
Ways to keep Sundays sacred:
- Avoid unnecessary shopping or chores.
- Plan restful or celebratory activities like nature walks, movies, or a special meal.
- Use the time for spiritual reading or volunteering.
- Make Mass the center of the day.
Quoting Isaiah 58, Warner highlights God’s promise to bless those who honor the Sabbath. In resting, we become more attuned to the peace and presence of Christ in our lives.
Entrust It All to God
Above all, Warner encourages parents to entrust their children and families to God. Drawing inspiration from biblical mothers like Hannah and holy couples like Saints Louis and Zélie Martin, she reminds us that sanctity begins with surrender. Parenting is often unseen, thankless work—but it is also sacred and eternal work.
“Become the spiritual leader and the saint that God desires you to be,” Warner urges, “and it will be the greatest gift you can give your family.”
Final Encouragement
Family faith formation isn’t about perfection—it’s about intention. Whether your children are toddlers or teenagers, it’s never too late to begin. Choose one small step: a prayer routine, a virtue challenge, a feast day celebration. Let that step become a habit, then another. As St. Francis de Sales said, “God takes pleasure in seeing you take your little steps.”
And when those steps are rooted in love, guided by prayer, and aimed at heaven, they lead not only to stronger families—but to sainthood.