Building the Domestic Church: A Q & A with Raquel Rose
Raquel Rose is the owner and visionary of The Little Rose Shop. A former school counselor, Raquel turned her passion for supporting families into simple, beautiful resources designed to build faith habits at home.
After an unexpected pregnancy in college, Raquel chose life and began crafting ways to teach her daughter the faith. That kitchen-table project is now a 60,000-subscriber community with a product line used by families nationwide. Her approach is developmentally informed and child-attuned. She includes easy, daily practices that make prayer feel doable, not daunting.
Raquel’s board book “My First Examen” recently won First Place at the 20216 Independent Press Awards. The award made us eager to learn more about Raquel, her journey and her company.
1. Tell us what inspired you to create The Little Rose Shop.
The Little Rose Shop was born from a very personal season in my life.
I became a single mom in college at 21, and during that time I experienced a deep re-conversion to my Catholic faith. I was sitting at Mass, lost, depressed, and under severe spiritual attack to have an abortion. At the moment of consecration, Jesus spoke to me. He said, “Raquel, I love you. Your brokenness is not too much for me. I love you.”
At that moment I knew Jesus was real and it changed everything. I had hope and was able to give Him a tiny yes to life and become a young single mom. I was convicted to take ownership of my faith for myself and my daughter. I wanted it woven into bedtime routines, kitchen counters, car rides, and ordinary Tuesday afternoons. It became my personal mission.
At first, I struggled to integrate faith into ordinary life. I felt like I needed to attend daily Mass and read these in-depth theology books to be a “Good Catholic.” But, God gave me the gift of creativity, and being a new mom, my daughter inspired me to make some little faith-based quiet books for her to use at Mass. I also created prayer blankets and mugs for myself as reminders to pray in the midst of sleep deprivation and morning coffee.
What began as a tiny idea resonated with so many others and has grown into a multi-million-dollar company serving thousands of families — but the mission hasn’t changed. We exist to help families encounter God in their actual, present life.
2. What obstacles have you overcome on your journey to create a truly Catholic company?
There have been both external and internal obstacles.
Externally, manufacturing faith-based products — especially children’s books and interactive quiet books — requires high safety standards, certification, overseas production, and long lead times. As a small business, navigating compliance, cash flow, and inventory risk has been a steep learning curve.
Internally, though, the biggest obstacle has been fear.
Fear of not being “Catholic enough.”
Fear of being too small.
Fear of not keeping up.
Building a truly Catholic company isn’t just about putting Scripture on a product. It’s about making decisions with integrity, stewarding money responsibly, caring for your team, and asking constantly: “Does this reflect who we say we are?”
That refinement process never really ends — and that’s actually a gift.
3. Why do you focus on “the domestic church?” Why do you think a strong domestic church is important for Catholic women – whether they work outside the home or not?
The phrase “domestic church” changed everything for me.
If the home is the first place children learn about love, sacrifice, forgiveness, and prayer, then it matters immensely what’s happening inside those walls.
A strong domestic church doesn’t mean a perfectly organized home or a mom who does everything “right.” It means creating an environment where faith feels normal, visible and accessible.
Whether a woman works outside the home or inside it, she is shaping culture in that space with the way she speaks, the way she celebrates feast days, the way she handles stress, and the way she invites God into ordinary moments.
When we strengthen the domestic church, we strengthen the future Church. And I think Catholic women are hungry for practical tools that make that possible without adding pressure or guilt.
4. As a Catholic woman running a business, what advice do you have for others who want to start or are struggling to grow?
First: build systems early that honor your priorities. Chaos and burnout are not virtues.
Second: know your mission deeply. Trends change. Algorithms change. Revenue fluctuates. But if you are crystal clear on why you exist, you can make wise decisions instead of reactive ones.
Third: don’t wait to “feel ready.” I started from my parent’s basement with no investors, no fancy degree in business, and no roadmap. What I had was conviction and willingness to learn.
And finally, integrate your faith into your leadership. Pray over decisions. Create margin for reflection. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.
Growth that costs you your soul isn’t worth it.
5. Your Catholic board books are unique – and award winning! What inspired you to create “My First Examen” and your other books for babies and toddlers? How much can children that young understand or absorb about the Catholic faith?
I created My First Examen because the Ignatian Examen changed my life.
As a former school counselor, I’ve used techniques like reflection, mindfulness, and gratitude to help build emotional maturity. Guess what? The Examen has all this and more packed into it. I absolutely geeked out when I discovered The Examen and thought, my kids need to start learning these tools right away.
Children grasp more than we give them credit for and they absolutely absorb prayer routines.
When a toddler hears “Where did you see God today?” every night she forms neural pathways. That builds awareness. That shapes identity.
My board books are tactile and interactive because little hands learn through touch. With lift-the-flaps, textured tracing and bright illustrations, faith isn’t abstract — it is available right at their level.
And when parents practice alongside their children, something powerful happens. It becomes part of the family culture.
6. You offer a diverse array of beautiful products. What’s your favorite and why?
This is like asking me to choose a favorite child. 😅
But if I had to choose, I’d say our interactive children’s books — especially the Mass Quiet Book.
This was the first product I made for my daughter at Mass, not knowing it would turn into a business. I simply made it because I wanted her to see Jesus in the Eucharist like I did on the day that changed my life.
7. How do you give back as a Catholic Woman in Business? Why is that important to you?
We donate a portion of profits to life-affirming and faith-based organizations. That commitment is deeply personal to me.
Because my own story includes becoming a single mom unexpectedly, I have a heart for supporting organizations that walk alongside women in vulnerable seasons.
But giving back isn’t only financial.
It’s how we treat our team.
It’s creating spiritually aligned benefits.
It’s mentoring other women in business.
It’s sharing transparently about both success and struggle.
There was a time when I didn’t think I would ever be able to support myself and my daughter financially, and I had people who supported me and believed in me. I promised myself that I would always give back when I was able to. God cannot be outdone in generosity, my friends. It is one of my greatest joys to be able to give back abundantly, praise God.
8. What else would you like people to know about you, your team or your company?
I’d want people to know this:
Our team is mostly part-time women balancing motherhood, family, and creative work. We operate with systems and strategy, yes — but also with prayer and intentionality.
The Little Rose Shop isn’t just a product company. It’s a community designed to help families integrate faith into daily life.
At the end of the day, our mission is simple:
The way we spend our days is how we spend our lives.
And the way we spend our lives is how we will spend eternity.
We want to help people spend their days encountering God.
If we can help families remember that — even in small ways — then we’ve done our job. 💛