"How to Turn a Boring Drive Into a Fun and Formative Adventure"

Joseph Pronechen writes in the August 12-18, 2007 issue of the National Catholic Register:

“Are we there yet?” The famous refrain doesn’t have to be the backseat chorus as the family drives along this summer’s vacation route. Neither do children have to be distracted by electronic entertainments every mile of the way.

With proper care and planning, the annual long summer drive can become an occasion to turn the whole family into a holy family.

“For a Catholic parent, it’s a great time to show how faith and life can be deeply integrated,” says James Pauley, assistant professor of theology and catechetics at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio. Remembering God while on vacation sends a powerful message to children about the need to live out the Catholic faith always and everywhere, he adds.

And that means outside the car as well as in it.

“Setting aside some time to pray at one of the missions founded by Junipero Serra before going to a California beach, or spending some time at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. while on the way to tour the monuments and museums” — these are examples of great “detours” for kids to take, says Pauley.

Such stops, he adds, “wonderfully integrate Catholic American history into children’s understanding of the history of our country and provide a great chance to pray as a family and stay connected to the liturgy.”

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Some secular books and sites inspire faith formation, too.

Says James Pauley: “Finding places that tell a story of virtue — the courage of the members of the original Jamestown settlement or the strength of African-American people facing persecution and bigotry as displayed at the Civil Rights Institute in Birmingham — can inspire children and teenagers to grow in virtue.”

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Pauley says places noted for their natural beauty open up a kind of catechesis, too. He notes that, every summer, Pope Benedict XVI takes an extended break and “speaks eloquently about the tremendous benefits to our faith that can result from taking a vacation,” including up-close contact with nature.

“Beauty is a gateway to God. When we’re in the presence of natural beauty, we are at great ‘risk’ of running into God,” Pauley says. He points out that parents can make the most of such moments by exclaiming, “Thank you, God, for making such a beautiful place!”

Attending a weekday Mass can turn a vacation into a pilgrimage, Pauley continues. (Find schedules anywhere via Masstimes.org or Parishesonline.com.)

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