The Domestic Church (DC) is the family branch of the Light-Life Movement. DC joins the charism of the Light-Life Movement with the charism of Teams of Our Lady (Equipes Notre-Dame, TOOL), the international lay Catholic Movement for married spirituality.
The beginnings of the Domestic Church date back to 1973 when the first oasis for families took place in Krościenko n.D. Two persons played an important role in the development of the Domestic Church: the founder of the Movement, Fr. Franciszek Blachnicki and Sister Jadwiga Skudro RSCJ (1914-2009) who helped since June, 1974. The name of the family branch of the Light-Life Movement has been taken from the teaching of the Second Vatican Council.
The Domestic Church is a movement for married couples (sacramental marriages) and families who want to grow in mutual love and to pursue sanctity together. The Movement helps them in building true unity and in creating a truly Christian environment for bringing up children. In this way a family may truly become a community, “the domestic church” (see. Lumen Gentium no. 11, Familiars Consortio no. 21).
Each of the married couples belonging to the Domestic Church wants to grow in faith and build their personal relationship with Jesus Christ by prayer, living the Word of God and making it the Word of Life, sacramental life, bearing witness to their neighbours and to the world and apostolate and service, according to the gifts they have received. The means to achieve these aims are the Commitments adapted from the TOOL:
- Everyday personal prayer (the Tent of Meeting)
- Regular listening to the Word of God
- Everyday couple prayer (conjugal prayer)
- Everyday family prayer
- Monthly dialogue
- Rule of life
- Formation retreat at least once a year
These elements help married couples come closer to God and closer to each other. Husbands and wives take up this constant effort within their families but also in small circles of groups that enable married couples to help one another in pursuing sanctity.
A circle gathers four to seven couples (preferably from the same parish, but exceptions are acceptable) who want to build the domestic church in their families. Such a circle builds a Christian community, an indispensable environment for Christian growth. They meet once a month in the name of Christ, for Him and because they love Him, in order to follow Him together and remain close to Him in their everyday lives. Such a meeting consists of three parts: a simple meal where couples talk about what happened since their last meeting, prayer (the Word of God, rosary) and formation (talk about the endeavours and a discussion of a chosen topic). One of the couples will be responsible for the circle, formation and the meetings. Each circle should also have a priest assistant.
Circles work in year-long cycles meeting once a month from September to June. Throughout the year, particularly in July and August, a number of formation retreats are organized. Among them a special and most important role is assigned to the 15-day oasis levels one, two and three. Formation in the Domestic Church follows the same evangelization-deuterocatechumenate-diakonia pattern as in the rest of the Light-Life Movement.