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September 10, 2020Allen Hunt is a 2008 convert to Catholicism and the author of several books. He is a grandfather of four. He is a senior advisor at the Dynamic Catholic Institute. Allen Hunt has written this book,
“Dreams for Your Grandchild: The hidden power of a Catholic grandparent,” to encourage Catholic grandparents to be involved with the faith growth of their grandchildren.
He provides a few strategies or recommendations into how to go about doing this. He is aware that many grandparents do not live near their grandchildren and he provides suggestions into how to keep in contact with their grandchildren.
He tells stories from his life and of others that he knows. These stories make the book lively and provide interesting anecdotes about how to encourage grandchildren to learn about and to practice their Catholic faith. Hunt and other grandparents and parents are concerned about their grandchildren and children keeping the faith. Many children who grow up to be adults abandoned their faith partly due to the lack of encouragement or example from their grandparents or parents. Some lose their faith due to influence from the society they live in.
The book is divided into two parts. The first part sets the stage as to the problem of children losing their faith and how grandparents can help prevent this. Hunt tells stories of him and others being successful in keeping their grandchild in the faith. Some of these stories sound a bit idealistic and for upper class people.
In the second part, Hunt provides seven steps to go about influencing grandchildren to keep their faith. Some are quite common sense but are worthwhile in reminding people. The first step is to love the grandchild lavishly with a personal touch by being present or by staying in touch via phone or Face Time.
The second step is to pray for and to encourage the child to pray for their grandparents and others. The third step is to have a dream for the child, but also to encourage the child to have their own dream in growing up in the faith. The fourth step is to model living out the faith.
The fifth step is to encourage good habits in the child and to live these habits themselves. Hunt has 51 suggestions into how to do this. The sixth step is to stay in contact with the child in any way possible. The final step is to inspire the child to remember their grandparent once they are gone.
In the epilogue, Hunt encourages grandparents to do what they can to support and nurture their grandchildren's faith. Hunt hopes that if grandparents do the things he suggests that fewer children becoming teenagers or adults will not lose their faith.
This book is recommended to grandparents looking for a strategy into how to keep their grandchildren in the faith. This year National Grandparents Day is Sept. 13.
Br. Benet Exton, O.S.B., St. Gregory's Abbey, Shawnee, is a freelance writer for the Sooner Catholic.
