How Peggy Morrow Learned to Trust the Family as the First Classroom

(Photo provided)

When Peggy Morrow looks back on nearly 10 years of faith formation at St. Scholastica Parish in Erie, she sees the Holy Spirit at work from the very beginning.

“The Holy Spirit inspired Father Robert Wedow and myself, guiding us through various events to introduce family faith formation,” Morrow said.

Those promptings gradually led Morrow and Father Wedow, the parish’s pastor, toward an approach that placed parents and families at the center of their children’s formation. The biggest shift came during COVID-19, when the possibility of lockdowns created an immediate need for a curriculum that families could use together at home.

At first, it was simply a practical response to an unusual situation. But before long, Morrow began to see that something deeper was happening.

“During sacrament interviews, it was evident to Father Wedow that parents understood their role as primary educators for the first time in his 20 years of priesthood,” she said.

Other parishes trying similar approaches were seeing the same thing. Later, when the Archdiocese of Denver shared research on what helps faith endure across generations, it reinforced what Morrow had already witnessed firsthand: faith is most likely to take root when it is lived and shared in the home.

That understanding now shapes the way she approaches formation at St. Scholastica Catholic Church in Erie. Morrow wants families to experience the joy of the faith, so her classes are often filled with stories and catechetical games.

“Although we are learning, we are having fun,” Morrow said. “Joy and laughter are contagious. It is natural and easy to share enjoyable experiences.”

She also encourages the young disciples in the program to bring what they are learning home and talk about it with their families.

"When we have to articulate what we are learning, it helps form us, build our relationships and the faith of those around us," she said.

Some of the moments that have meant the most to Morrow have occurred during Eucharistic Adoration, as she watches parents and children learn to be still in the presence of Christ together. She often returns to Archbishop Golka’s reminder that Jesus always enters a space before us, something she has seen repeatedly as families grow more comfortable simply spending time with the Lord.

Her own years of formation have also shaped the way she serves. During six years of study through the St. John Vianney Seminary Lay Division’s Biblical and Catechetical Schools, Morrow came to see Scripture as a roadmap for our lives today.

"The Bible is the only thing we can read that is written by God," she said, pointing to the divine inspiration behind the human writers of the Scriptures. "Jesus is the Word, and his Word creates in our hearts and minds a map of how to get to eternity to be with him. It is our map to the hidden treasure of Heaven."

Nearly 10 years into the work, Morrow is quick to point to the many people who have made it possible: Father Wedow, volunteer catechists, deacons, parish staff, families, fellow parishioners, other parishes and Archdiocesan staff, as well as her own family.

And the lesson that began during an unexpected season has stayed with her. Whether she is leading children through prayer exercises, sitting with families before the Blessed Sacrament or watching a parent begin to understand their role as their child’s first teacher in the faith, Morrow continues to see the same truth lived out: the home is one of the most important places where faith is learned, practiced and handed on.

Congratulations, Peggy, for being named the Archbishop's Catholic Appeal Disciple of the Month!