Welcome!  

When it is a regular feature of your family’s life, the effects of the family table can be profound. Research shows that children in a home with regular shared meals report stronger relationships with their parents, better mental health and emotional well-being. Their academic work and their physical health tends to be better. Teens in these homes have lower levels of screen use and alcohol and substance use.

Beyond all that, we know that the family table can be holy ground. In the connection to one another and to the Lord, our family is shaped in deeply rooted ways. Pope Francis said: “Sitting at table for the family dinner, sharing our meal and the experiences of our day, is a fundamental image of togetherness and solidarity.” The source of Catholic life is our shared sacramental table. When our families gather at our own tables, those meals can be a preparation for, and an echo of, that Eucharistic mystery. We can pray not only in the words we speak but in an embodied way, in our gratitude at the food we are given, in our love for one another.

At the same time, real life brings many challenges. There are always distractions and challenges that make it challenging to pull everyone together for a meal. Our hope is to share with you resources that work in real life, more firmly rooting you in your own practice of the family table—and connecting your family to one another and to the Lord.

Our Holy Days section offers many ways to live into the rhythm of the liturgical year. Choose a particular feast day or season, and you will find various elements: a simple explanation of the observance, a recipe or menu idea, and, always, a prayer to include at your table. (Here is the feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, for example.)

Family Days offers similar resources centered on the special days in your own family, whether they are sacramental occasions like baptism, or just an important day in your family’s life, like a birthday.

Our Everyday section offers resources that are not connected to any particular occasion, but rather offer broader support: check out our essay on welcoming neurodivergent kids to the table.

Come to the Table is rooted in the theology and liturgical life of the Catholic Church, but we warmly welcome anyone who finds our resources helpful.

We are not aiming for a social-media-perfect family table. We know that family life can be busy and demanding, and so we try to keep it simple. There is a time and place for painstaking effort, but here we assume that time and energy are precious.  (Our recipes often include unapologetic shortcuts!) We hope this website is an everyday companion that reaches you where you are and helps you just to take that next step.