The Distinctives of the Church of the Holy Family

Father Scott Jenkins
"Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God." (Mark 10:13)

• Holy Family is an ecumenical faith community in that we celebrate a characteristically Catholic faith that is not sectarian. Consistent with the Second Vatican Council, we recognize the baptism and faith of all our Christian sisters and brothers. By virtue of our common baptism, a real unity already exists in Christ’s Church. Therefore, we at Holy Family, invite all our sisters and brothers to partake of the Lord’s Eucharist.
• The bishop, priests, and deacons of Holy Family are free to marry and raise families or to remain celibate. To deny marriage to those who have an authentic calling to the ministerial priesthood may diminish the spiritual and psychological health of the Church’s clergy.
• People who have gone through the painful experience of divorce and have chosen to remarry are not excluded from the Sacramental life of the church.
• The use of contraception and artificial birth control as a way of responsibility limiting the size of one’s family is an issue of conscience to be decided by the husband and wife.
• We recognize that each baptized person is an equal member of the Catholic Church. No bishop, priest, or deacon owns the sacramental ministry or the grace of Christ. Therefore, lay people play an important role in the government of the Church. The lay people of a given faith community participate in the processing of selecting their Bishop.