The Lilly Endowment Inc. recently donated $1.25 million to the McGrath Institute for Church Life to expand their Holy Family Initiative for Family Catechesis.

Katherine Angulo Valenzuela, Program Director for the Holy Family Initiative, told the Rover in an interview that the initiative’s mission is to “catechize Hispanic parents, re-empowering them as teachers of the faith within their homes.” She continued, “This catechetical program addresses the increasing disaffiliation of young Hispanic people with the Church by creating a culture of affiliation.”

Angulo Valenzuela hopes that the initiative will help these Hispanic communities, including by helping “parents take charge of passing the faith to the new generations when communication (language) and education has in many cases broken their relationships.” She also hopes that the initiative will aid “parents identify the difference between a good family and a good Catholic family.”

The McGrath Institute plans to open this initiative to all dioceses in the United States after operating in the dioceses of San Antonio and Raleigh for at least three years.