As divorce rates soar and traditional values are eroded in the West, Eduard Habsburg-Lothringen offers a powerful defense of large families and the vital role they play in preserving cultural and moral integrity. His new book, Building a Wholesome Family in a Broken World, is as compelling as it is necessary. While societal structures are fracturing under the weight of individualism, consumerism, and anti-family ideologies, Habsburg draws upon the wisdom accumulated over nearly a millennium of Habsburg family experience, including his own family with six children, to offer a refreshing and robust guide to forming and nurturing families rooted in faith, tradition, and love. As Habsburg writes, “The family is where life is born, love is first experienced, and faith is first lived. … Family life is what everybody should be striving for. It is what everybody really wants.”
The heart of Habsburg’s thesis is that family is the fundamental cell of society. Without strong families, the fabric of society inevitably unravels. The author argues that modern ideologies—such as radical individualism, the rejection of traditional marriage, and the normalization of divorce—have weakened the family’s role in society. Habsburg’s remedy is a return to faith-based, traditional family values grounded in the teachings of the Catholic Church. He contends that the family is not merely an organizational unit but the place where love, life, and faith are lived out in their fullest forms. The most critical task in our modern era, Habsburg argues, is to protect and build strong families that will serve as bastions of faith and culture amidst the turbulence of the world.
The book is organized into six chapters, each covering different stages of family life, from courtship to the role of grandparents. The progression of chapters offers readers a comprehensive, chronological guide to forming and maintaining a family, with an emphasis on faith as the cornerstone of every stage.
In the first chapter, Habsburg gives readers a concise but illuminating history of his family, which has been at the heart of European power and Catholic tradition for nearly a millennium. While the Habsburg family’s grandeur and influence are well-documented, Habsburg focuses on how his family’s values—faith, commitment, and fidelity—have kept them strong. These principles, Habsburg argues, are the same ones modern families can adopt to build their own wholesome, thriving units.
Habsburg’s chapter on courtship emphasizes the importance of chastity and deliberate preparation for marriage. He acknowledges that his advice might seem “old-fashioned” or “counter-cultural” but insists that such values lead to healthier, longer-lasting marriages. He draws on his own personal experiences, as well as the collective wisdom of his ancestors, to illustrate how the path to a strong family begins with discernment in choosing a spouse. Chastity, according to Habsburg, is the foundation for a marriage built on trust and mutual respect.
Engagement, as Habsburg explains, should be a time of discernment and deep reflection. He emphasizes that modern engagements, often characterized by social media spectacles, miss the point of this sacred period. The chapter serves as a practical guide to ensuring that engagement is a meaningful preparation for marriage, rather than an event-driven, performative stage. Habsburg encourages couples to prioritize prayer, community, and communication during this period.
The fourth chapter is perhaps the most practical. Here, Habsburg addresses the realities of married life and offers advice on how to maintain a strong marriage through shared rituals, mutual respect, and, most importantly, a shared faith. He advocates for large families, arguing that children are the greatest gift parents can give not only to each other but to society as a whole. Habsburg’s emphasis on having many children runs counter to modern norms that often see children as a financial burden.
Habsburg dedicates this chapter to the role that grandparents play in preserving the faith, culture, and traditions of the family. He uses examples from his own family’s history to show how grandparents can serve as spiritual guides, passing on essential values to their grandchildren. Habsburg places a strong emphasis on the idea of continuity—families are not just about the present but are part of a long, historical chain that links past, present, and future.
The final chapter reflects on how death, far from being a point of rupture, can serve as a moment of profound unity and spiritual growth for families. Habsburg shares personal family stories to illustrate how death has often brought his family closer together, strengthening their bond through faith. The way a family confronts death, Habsburg suggests, is just as important as the way it confronts life—both are opportunities to reinforce family bonds through prayer and mutual support.
Habsburg is not afraid to offer strong, sometimes controversial opinions on what it takes to build a strong family in modern times. Two particularly polemic points stand out in his chapters on courtship and family building.
In a world where premarital relationships are often considered the norm, Habsburg takes a firm stance on the importance of chastity. According to him, chastity is not a relic of the past but a crucial building block for a successful, long-lasting marriage. He argues that couples who practice chastity before marriage enter into their union with a greater sense of self-discipline, respect, and mutual trust. For Habsburg, the modern culture of instant gratification and casual dating erodes these virtues, leading to weaker marriages and, ultimately, broken families. His argument here is both practical and theological, rooted in his Catholic faith’s teachings on the sanctity of marriage.
Another point of contention Habsburg raises is the modern tendency to prioritize material wealth and career success over family life. He critiques the modern notion that children are a financial burden and that large families are impractical in today’s world. For Habsburg, children are not an economic liability but the ultimate gift that parents can give each other and society. In one particularly striking passage, he asks readers to imagine which of their children they would sacrifice for a larger house or a fancier vacation. His message is clear: a life built around consumerism and materialism is ultimately shallow, whereas a life built around family and faith offers lasting joy and fulfillment.
While Building a Wholesome Family in a Broken World is a practical guide, it is also a broader critique of modern society. Habsburg argues that the world’s current trajectory—marked by consumerism, individualism, and moral relativism—is incompatible with the flourishing of strong families. He offers a counter-cultural vision of family life, one that is grounded in faith, tradition, and mutual sacrifice. His message is especially resonant for Catholic families, but it is equally applicable to anyone who believes in the importance of family as a cornerstone of society. As he thoughtfully observes, “Family is possible. Family is beautiful. In fact, next to faith, family is the most important thing in the world.”
Eduard Habsburg’s Building a Wholesome Family in a Broken World is a much-needed guide for families seeking to navigate the complexities and challenges of modern life. Its message is counter-cultural, but that is precisely what makes it so powerful. The book is not only a practical guide but a manifesto for the renewal of the family as the fundamental unit of society. It is highly recommended for anyone who wants to understand the importance of family in today’s world and who seeks to build a household that can withstand the pressures and challenges of modern life.
Watch my interview with Habsburg here:
