At the end of each Mass, Catholics are sent out, sustained and prepared by the Liturgy to “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord,” or “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.” Partaking of the Eucharist is just the start of our work to build the Kingdom of God, not the end. But for many, this sending out might be a stumbling block, something that perplexes us, an unknown that paralyzes our faith life. What does glorifying the Lord with our life in our families, homes and even our workplaces look like? How can we share the Good News of Jesus with those who might not find it as appealing as we do?

The Domestica Apostolate seeks to give lay faithful the tools for deepening the Catholic faith in their homes and hearts, so they might sanctify the world from within. Their idea is that the Christian family and physical home might be an island to the world in need of the oasis of Christ’s love and mercy. By witnessing the joy of the Gospel, turning to the sacraments, learning the teachings of the Church, praying each day, employing sacramentals, and offering radical hospitality, the family builds their domestic church. This apostolate is designed to build a community of families to make those actions easier, supporting the universal call to holiness, which invites all the faithful to aspire to Christ’s perfect love.

Helping families establish a robust Domestic Church to engage the world was an idea that founder Mara Hibner pondered for quite a while. Hibner said, “For me personally the mission is simply to strengthen the Catholic faith and for us to know our role more deeply as laity…it’s vital for us to know and learn our faith. For us to live the faith in our daily, ordinary lives.”

Eventually she talked to her parish priest, Father Andrew Hess, who encouraged her and gave her the tools to get Domestica off the ground. He continues to be actively involved in the apostolate, making sure the heart of the apostolate remains in the heart of the Church. While Domestica is connected to the St. Henry Family of Parishes, any family is welcome to join and take advantage of the resources and responsibilities of living out the Domestica apostolate.

Around the same time Hibner launched Domestica, God placed Jackie Perry in Hibner’s life, and together they built a newsletter they could send out to families who wanted to grow their Catholic faith and radiate the joy of their relationship with Christ to the wider community. This past February, they launched their newsletter. The pair send it out at the beginning of every month to around 400 subscribers. The newsletter has a featured topic every month. Some past issues focused on the Easter Triduum, conversion of heart, vocations to religious life, and the remodel of St Joseph. Many feature people from the local community witnessing their faith and relating it faithfully to Church teachings.

The newsletter is just the start of the plans they have for Domestica. Hibner and Perry plan to grow the apostolate slowly. In the context of their vocations as mothers in growing families, there is a lot going on. At times, work on this project takes a backseat to gaining first-hand experience in their own Domestic churches.

Hibner said, “As Domestica grows, so do we! In all honesty, it’s a desire to grow our domestic churches right alongside other families and individuals walking the path to heaven and sainthood.”

The newsletter was the first part of their vision for the apostolate, and they continue to further their ideas and dreams. In the future, they hope to formally enroll families in the Domestica with certain requirements for the family, to help them grow in holiness. Some practices would include observing the five precepts of the Church, daily prayer as a family, displaying a crucifix in the home, scheduling a home blessing and other devotions.

“We’ve also had some conversations about ‘little dreams,’” says Hibner. “Some of those include things like a digital print shop, clothing merchandise and maybe even a retreat someday.” Hibner and Perry created Domestica stickers with their logo to help get the word out. Although they are currently operating with the oversight of their pastor, their hope is to grow the apostolate and eventually become a lay association under the archbishop’s jurisdiction.

So, how might we glorify the Lord or announce the Gospel by our lives after attending Mass? One way is to build up the domestic Church within your household, to radiate Christ to those in need of His love. “With Domestica,” says Perry, “We aim to be an aid in that perpetual growth process, so that we may all know and live this beautiful faith of ours more deeply.”

This new apostolate in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati seeks to give laity the tools that lead them to holiness so that by living a life of faith we might, as Pope St. John Paul II says, “Become what you are!”

This article appeared in the September 2023 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.