Michael B. Jordan attributed his 2026 Best Actor Oscar win for "Sinners" to God and emphasized the presence of his family, including his father who traveled from Ghana. Jordan previously discussed his lifelong belief in a higher power, stemming from his upbringing in church. Nicole Kidman shared that attending church on Sunday mornings helps center her before major events like presenting at the Oscars. Kidman mentioned that her Catholic upbringing and praying habits, influenced by her grandmother, have had a massive impact on her life. Jessie Buckley, Best Actress winner for "Hamnet," spoke emotionally about her experience as a mother to an 8-month-old daughter.
about 16 hours ago
Michael B. Jordan opened his Best Actor acceptance speech for "Sinners" by repeating, "God is good. God is good."1 2
He referenced his church upbringing and belief in a higher power from a 2020 Essence interview.1 2
Nicole Kidman shared that she attends church before major events like the Oscars to center herself.1 2
Jordan thanked his family, noting his mother's presence, his father's trip from Ghana, and his siblings.1 2
Jessie Buckley, accepting Best Actress for "Hamnet," praised her parents for encouraging dreams beyond expectations.1 2
She called her husband Freddie Sorensen "the most incredible dad and my best friend," expressing desire for more children.1 2
Buckley dedicated her win to her 8-month-old daughter, saying, "I love you, and I love being your mom."1 2
She highlighted "the capacity of a mother’s love" and "the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart," tying it to UK Mother's Day.1 2
Kidman, despite her recent divorce from Keith Urban, recalled family church attendance influenced by her Catholic grandmother.1 2
Jordan paid tribute to African American Oscar winners like Sidney Poitier and Denzel Washington after his faith remarks.1 2
Examine Catholic teachings on family and faith in life
Catholic doctrine presents the family—rooted in the marriage of man and woman—as the foundational cell of society and a "domestic church" where faith is nurtured, lived, and transmitted across generations. It is prior to civil recognition, serves life through openness to children, and forms the primary environment for moral, spiritual, and religious education. Parents bear the chief responsibility for evangelizing their children, making the family an ecclesial community that mirrors Christ's love for the Church.
The Church repeatedly describes the Christian family as a domestic church, a sacred space echoing the communion of the Trinity and the spousal love of Christ and His Bride.
Just as in the marriage covenant, the love of man and woman is raised by grace to become a sharing in, and an expression of, the love of Christ and the Church (cf. Eph 5:32), so too the family, grounded in that love, is called to be a “domestic church”, a place of faith, of prayer and of loving concern for the true and enduring good of each of its members.
This concept underscores the family's priestly, prophetic, and kingly roles: honoring God through prayer, witnessing the Gospel by example, and fostering virtue amid daily challenges. Parents are the "first heralds of the Gospel," imbuing home life with reverence for God, shared prayer, sacraments, and charity. The parish complements this as a "family of families," supporting spiritual growth.
Parents hold the original and primary role in educating children, especially in faith, morality, and human development. This begins with conformity to God's creative plan in marriage, openness to life, and resistance to threats like contraception or cultural deinstitutionalization.
Catholic parents must learn to form their family as a "domestic Church", a church in the home as it were, where God is honored, his law is respected, prayer is a normal event, virtue is transmitted by word and example.
Faith is handed on through word, deed, family prayer, Eucharist, Reconciliation, and acts of charity, strengthening unity and evangelization. The sensus fidei—the instinct of faith in believers—enriches this, as lived experience in family contexts refines doctrinal understanding and practice. Children learn justice, love of neighbor, and shared dignity here, forming the basis for societal harmony.
Faith is not abstract but incarnated in daily family existence: work, relationships, trials, and joys. Believers put faith into practice amid family, professional, and cultural demands, gaining deeper insight—"those who do what is true come to the light" (Jn 3:21). Examples abound: Abraham's trust, Mary's fiat, martyrs' witness, and ordinary Christians confessing Christ in family settings.
By faith, across the centuries, men and women of all ages... have confessed the beauty of following the Lord Jesus wherever they were called to bear witness... in the family, in the workplace, in public life.
Even amid darkness—evil, suffering, family breakdowns—faith endures as a gift to seek daily: "Lord, increase our faith!" (Lk 17:5). Lay faithful sanctify family duties per objective morality, bridging faith and life against secular divisions.
Society must honor marriage and family, with the state obligated to protect their rights, aid education, and ensure dignity. The Church assists through catechesis on chastity, marriage preparation, and outreach to struggling families (e.g., single-parent, divorced, widowed), offering love without compromising indissolubility.
We also come to appreciate... the duty of the State to support families in their mission of education, to protect the institution of the family and its inherent rights.
Bishops and parishes provide family ministry, emphasizing matrimony's sacramental depth over contractual views.
Modern threats—deinstitutionalized marriage, broken homes, biotechnologies—undermine family stability, yet it remains society's root for justice and evangelization. The Church accompanies all, urging fidelity: divorced Catholics striving in generosity share the mission via faith, hope, charity. Faith falters in trials but is fortified by grace, urging detachment from distractions and attachment to God.
In summary, Catholic teaching weaves family and faith inseparably: the family, as domestic church, is where faith is birthed, nurtured, and radiated into society. Parents lead this mission, supported by Church and state, amid contemporary trials—calling all to heroic ordinary holiness.