Relocating? Stay grounded in Christ
Americans move frequently. About 11% move each year according to national statistics. For married couples, moving is more than a change of address. Whether you’re newlyweds settling into your first home or a growing family searching for more space, a move shakes up your social, professional, family and spiritual life. But it can also be an opportunity for spiritual growth through the everyday practices of love and partnership.
Americans move frequently. About 11% move each year according to national statistics. For married couples, moving is more than a change of address. Whether you’re newlyweds settling into your first home or a growing family searching for more space, a move shakes up your social, professional, family and spiritual life. But it can also be an opportunity for spiritual growth through the everyday practices of love and partnership.
A major life event
When couples move, they leave behind the support systems of friends, family, faith communities and childcare. The resulting isolation can strain a marriage. If the move is driven by one spouse’s job, the other may feel their career, identity or goals have been sidelined, creating tension or resentment. For newlyweds, learning to live together for the first time while handling packing, travel and moving costs adds another layer of difficulty.
Prioritize your faith
Prioritizing your faith can help bring peace and groundedness amid the challenges of moving. Begin by praying with your spouse. Shared and individual prayer will provide you with God’s grace, clarity and wisdom wherever you land. Couples may also find it helpful to ask the saints for help. Pray for the intercession of St. Anne, patron of relocation, and St. Christopher, patron of travelers, during times of transition.
Scripture is full of passages showing God calling his people to embrace change. Stories such as Abraham leaving his homeland (Gen 12:1-4), or Ruth, who uprooted her life to stay with and care for her widowed mother-in-law (Ruth 1), are reminders that God’s love endures through seasons of upheaval.
The Catechism (CCC 2204-05) teaches that the Christian family is a “domestic church,” where parents and children live the Gospel together each day. Big changes can test families, but also provide opportunities to deepen faith at home. When you arrive in your new home, place religious items centrally to bless your domestic church. These gestures invite God’s presence and protection into your home.
Once settled, find the parish nearby that nourishes both your marriage and your family life.
Show each other a little grace
During periods of change, it’s important to return to the foundations of a Christian marriage: patience, sacrifice and self-giving. These virtues ground couples in Christ and sustain unity through hard times. Remember that Jesus travels with you on every journey. Through him, any new place can truly become home.
Jessica Miano is an award-winning Catholic writer whose work focuses on faith, marriage and family life. She is a wife and mother of two.
