Kevin and Therese Haluska see the fruits of faith in their children through their example of married life
Cate Haluska didn’t sign up to be a lector because her parents asked her to.
A few years ago, the now 13-year-old watched another young person help with the readings at the Easter Vigil and decided she wanted to try it, too.
Not long after, the eighth-grader at St. Gerard Majella School in Kirkwood started proclaiming God’s word herself and is now a regular on the lectors’ schedule.
For Cate’s parents, Therese and Kevin Haluska, it’s one of the clearest signs that the faith they live at home with their four children — Drew, 15, Cate, 13, Ellie, 10, and Abby, 7 — has taken root.
“Once they get into the teenager phase, they start picking the ways in which they want to exercise their faith,” Kevin said. “That’s been something that’s been really great for us to see, is that our kids like opting into things that we’re not making them do.”
The Haluskas of St. Gerard Majella Parish have been married for 17 years. In 2024, Kevin attended Christian initiation classes and received the Eucharist and confirmation at the Easter Vigil. His journey helped unify how they approach faith at home, moving him from a supportive role to co-leader. Going through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) gave Kevin a better understanding of the faith, which he said has helped him to have deeper conversations with their children.
Meanwhile, Therese, a cradle Catholic, said she fills in with the lived tradition — what practices looked like growing up and how she experienced milestones like first Communion and confirmation — so together they’re able to guide their children with a shared foundation, she said.
With a busy family life that often takes them in different directions, the Haluskas prioritize prayer at home, including at meals and before bed. During meals, they’ll use their time together to discuss what they’re grateful for that day. Mass also is a non-negotiable, including on vacations. When they travel, they intentionally look up a nearby parish and make plans to attend church, even if it takes extra effort, Therese said.
“Now it’s like, we’re all in, and we’re going to do that, and we’re going to show our kids that’s what we do,” Kevin said.
Therese noted that from time to time conversations at home naturally turn to faith matters, with their children pulling out books or talking about particular saints. Over the years, their children have accumulated a small library of Catholic books, and she’s been encouraged to see that sometimes they pick up those books on their own.
That kind of self-directed interest wasn’t her experience growing up, Therese said. She credited it in part to having more resources and to Kevin’s example by praying and reading where the kids can see him do that.
As the Haluskas’ children move into adolescence, Therese and Kevin see those everyday moments — Mass, lectoring, participating in youth group and family prayer time — as ways in which they’re forming their children into disciple-makers.
“It’s been really great reinforcement that our children are opting into things of faith,” Therese said. “I think that’s where we’ve seen, that as teenagers, they might pick different things, but (it’s) giving them the chance to choose how best to exercise their faith.”
Other resources
Faith Alive in the Home helps parents to grow in unity as a couple as they lead their young children to know and love Jesus. www.faithaliveinthehome.org/about
Well-Ordered Family provides structure for parents to work as a team to make room for what matters most amid busy family life. wellorderedfamily.com
Marriage & More small groups connect Catholic couples with faith and friendship to navigate family life without neglecting the health and holiness of their marriages. www.celebrate-catholic.com/MarriageandMore
Jubilant Marriages
Jubilant Marriages is an initiative from the archdiocesan Office of Marriage and Family Life that offers resources to married couples to help them recognize the gift and sacramental nature of their marriages.
It’s a local response to the U.S. bishops’ 2021 document, “Called to the Joy of Love,” a national framework for marriage and family life ministry. Realizing that married couples and families are the heart of parish life and discipleship, the bishops challenged each other to develop ways to assist Catholic couples throughout the various stages of their married and family life.
Jubilant Marriages also includes spiritual and practical resources for singles who are preparing to live the vocation of marriage, as well as resources for priests and parishes to build community in the parish around marriage.
To learn more, visit www.archstl.org/jubilant-marriages/
