This fall marks the first active semester for the new men’s household, Children of the Holy Family. Activated at last spring’s Household Life Mass, the household is dedicated to living out the call to holiness through the imitation of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. 

“When I first was looking for households, I was specifically trying to find one that was devoted to Joseph, Mary and Jesus at the same time, because I always liked the family aspect,” said Michael Bosco, coordinator and founder. “I tried a few other households, but none of them really had that, so I wanted to make my own.”  

Bosco, formerly a member of Knights of the Holy Queen, drew on his Marian devotion in developing Children of the Holy Family. “I saw the beauty of Marian devotion. How do you love Jesus? You go to the person who loved him the most. But how do you love Mary? Joseph. Other than Jesus, the person who loved Mary the most.” 

“Technically, it’s spiritual warfare,” said Bosco, a senior education major. “Notice that the first sin ever committed, when the devil tempts Adam and Eve, he separates them.” 

This view of family life is well-founded. Bosco noted that a visionary of Fatima, Venerable Lúcia dos Santos, said, “The final battle between the Lord and the kingdom of Satan will be about marriage and the family.” 

Bosco added that as he studied the Holy Family more deeply, he began to appreciate the goodness of vulnerability, especially among men. He sees this as both necessary and countercultural. “I want this household to be a hospital for people who struggle,” said Bosco. “Devotion to the family is the perfect representation of that.” 

Finding members was the most difficult part. Children of the Holy Family began with six students, one of whom graduated shortly after the household was activated. 

Andrew Itchon, a junior theology major and founding member, spoke about his decision to join the household. “It wasn’t anything personal, it was just that he asked me,” Itchon said. Rather than a lengthy discernment process, his story of joining this household reflects its value of simplicity. 

“I felt like when he came up to me, he saw something in me, he trusted me,” said Itchon. This, along with his interest in the Holy Family devotion, led him to help Bosco develop the household. “I helped Michael with the covenant … setting out the pillars, the saints.” 

Bosco had said of the covenant, “I made, like, four of them, because the thing is, the covenant was the hardest thing to write.” He described the process as, “trying to condense everything that you’re about to one or two pages.” 

In addition to the Holy Family, the young men chose three other patrons: St. Francis, for his popularization of the creche, St. John the Apostle, for his love of Jesus and Mary, and St. Therese of Lisieux, for her writings on being childlike. 

Itchon is now stepping into the role of coordinator, despite having no prior experience in household life. “I can understand why it’s a big part of campus life,” he said. “You’re able to do a lot of fun stuff, but really household is meant to build unity, grow closer to Christ … it’s something that stays with you even after you graduate.” 

“One of the things that makes us unique is that we’re very broad,” said Bosco. “Everyone’s a part of our household in a certain sense … everyone generally believes in the idea that we’re a heavenly family.” Bosco also expressed his gratitude to many of the other men’s households that have reached out in welcome during the past year as Children of the Holy Family began.