All Saints Day - Pick a Saint, Any Saint

Hello!  It's been a long time but I am excited to be back and writing again. Our oldest daughter (now 17!) suggested I get back to writing and sharing some of my favorite things with the world, or at least our little corner of it.  

All Saints Day
It's one of my favorite things.
All Saints Day is a favorite in our house and has been for a very long time. I am not going to over load you with a long list in this one post, we are going to walk together through the planning and prep for this fabulous feast day and party over several weeks. We Catholics love a good party, especially if you can bring the joy of faith, family, and fun into it. Sometimes though, sometimes, it does take some extra planning.


Pick some Saints
Every year we go over the lists of Saints - those we know and those we find. I have organized a Martyrs walk these past couple of years at our parish in conjunction with the All Saints Day Party so we've had to look for lots of martyred saints.  We learn a lot about our friends the saints just in the planning process!

• You want to put together a list of between 10 - 15 saints for games.  You may not end up using them all but it gives you a good number to choose from. The size of your party place will determine your final number of saint games.  
• A long list of saints is also helpful for future years.  We try to rotate our saints through a 3 - 4 year rotation. 
• Pick a variety of men and women, martyr and non-martyrs, ancient, modern, and in-betweens. 
• Try to pick a few new ones each year as this should not only be fun but also be teaching us about our heavenly friends. 

That's it for now!  Go find those saints!  A list can sometimes be more challenging to make than we'd like to think.

Yes, we have been doing other things....

besides FLL!
Sooo, where were we....since September....

nuff said!

getting bigger!

After Mass and Baptism with some new, dear friends. 
The person that held the camera decided to take a video so
we have no other pictures of our own! : )
I am getting some from Godparents and Aunt and Uncle!

One of our Goddaughters!  Come to visit from PA...
Her parents are A's Godparents!

 Science Experiment!

We just can't be left out!

State Fair entry

This really is her favorite ride ... just not a good picture!

Not real interested in the fair...or much else - sleep calls!

The rest of the crew...ready for the bumper cars!

Beware!  1st time driver!

A little funnel cake...

2nd Place!

B's Lego entry
(yep, they have a rather large lego building contest!)

Bear's football scene

B's NC Themed entry
The state is as close to proportionally correct as you can get with Legos.
His is just the NCSU piece.

T's baseball scene
(not the best angle but it was pretty high up...and i am not!)

Sibling love

Or rivalry!

Another experiment

Cat's handy work...

Look mom! Water wings!
Hahaha! Very funny guys!

Considering All Saints' Day costumes

Yes, other people spend time with him too!

See, here's someone else!
...and Bear defying gravity in the background!

No baby here...

Guess again! He was hiding! : )

Our motley crew of ...ahem...Saints

Loving the poses!

Saint Nicholas...tossing around that extra gold again!



A murdered queen.
Don't you mean a Martyred Queen?
yes, that too!
(Ladybug's -not pictured- comment on her sister's costume to a friend's mom)



And that my friends, was just October! 
As you can tell, we are a bit exhausted....

St. Joseph's Feast Day

"St. Joseph is the model of those humble ones that Christianity raises up to great destinies;...he is the proof that in order to be a good and genuine follower of Christ, there is no need of great things-it is enough to have the common, simple and human virtues, but they need to be true and authentic."
Pope John Paul II



May St. Joseph obtain for the Church and for the world, as well as for each of us, the blessing of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

St. Patrick's Feast Day

May the Strength of God pilot us.

May the Power of God preserve us.

May the Wisdom of God instruct us.

May the Hand of God protect us.

May the Way of God direct us.

May the Shield of God defend us.

May the Host of God guard us.
Against the snares of the evil ones.
Against temptations of the world

May Christ be with us!
                                             May Christ be before us!
                                             May Christ be in us,
                                             Christ be over all!
                                             May Thy Salvation, Lord,
                                             Always be ours,
                                             This day, O Lord, and evermore. Amen.

Preparing for Lent - Part 2

So where were we?

What is Lent? 
Why i even tried to tackle this question is beyond me ... i have spent some time researching about Lent being more than just 'preparing for Easter.'

Diving in i found that Lent is to prepare ourselves for the sacraments of Christian initiation. 
Here is where my search led me....

Catholic Online states 'Preparation for Baptism and for renewing baptismal commitment lies at the heart of the season.'  (this was the first thing i found)

So how do we incorporate that into the whole season?  Many families focus on Baptism during Holy Week, but to spend the entire season learning about and preparing for THE Baptism is a mighty tall order. 
I have never really looked at Lent that way before...but it makes perfect sense.

#1227 According to the Apostle Paul, the believer enters through Baptism into communion with Christ's death, is buried with him, and rises with him:

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.(Rom 6:3-4; cf. Col 2:12)

The baptized have "put on Christ."Gal (3:27) Through the Holy Spirit, Baptism is a bath that purifies, justifies, and sanctifies.(CE 1Cor 6:11; 12:13)

But then we remember that Baptism is the first sacrament of Christian initiation. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "The sacraments of Christian initiation - Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist - lay the foundation of every Christian life.  'The sharing in the divine nature given to men through the grace of Christ bears a certain likeness to the origin, development, and nourishing of natural life.  The faithful are born anew by Baptism, strengthened by the sacrament of Confirmation, and receive in the Eucharist the food of eternal life.  By means of these sacraments of Christian initiation, they thus receive in increasing measure the treasures of the divine life and advance toward the perfection of charity." (Catechism of the Catholic Church #1212)

So i read further through the Catechism. If  you do so you see that Lent is actually about preparing for all three sacraments

The Eucharist:
#1366 The Eucharist is thus a sacrifice because it re-presents (makes present) the sacrifice of the cross, because it is its memorial and because it applies its fruit:

[Christ], our Lord and God, was once and for all to offer himself to God the Father by his death on the altar of the cross, to accomplish there an everlasting redemption. But because his priesthood was not to end with his death, at the Last Supper "on the night when he was betrayed," [he wanted] to leave to his beloved spouse the Church a visible sacrifice (as the nature of man demands) by which the bloody sacrifice which he was to accomplish once for all on the cross would be re-presented, its memory perpetuated until the end of the world, and its salutary power be applied to the forgiveness of the sins we daily commit. (Council of Trent (1562): DS 1740; cf. 1 Cor 11:23; Heb 7:24, 27)

Confirmation:
#1287 This fullness of the Spirit was not to remain uniquely the Messiah's, but was to be communicated to the whole messianic people. (Cf. Ezek 36:25-27; Joel 3:1-2) On several occasions Christ promised this outpouring of the Spirit, (Cf. Lk 12:12; Jn 3:5-8; 7:37-39; 16:7-15; Acts 1:8) a promise which he fulfilled first on Easter Sunday and then more strikingly at Pentecost. (Cf. Jn 20:22; Acts 2:1-14) Filled with the Holy Spirit the apostles began to proclaim "the mighty works of God," and Peter declared this outpouring of the Spirit to be the sign of the messianic age. (Acts 2:11; Cf. 2:17-18) Those who believed in the apostolic preaching and were baptized received the gift of the Holy Spirit in their turn. (Cf. Acts 2:38)

Phew!  Through prayer, fasting and alms giving we prepare our hearts and souls to receive these sacraments in light of Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension, as well as Pentecost.

Do you teach your children about this every year?  What resources are out there to help us do so?

Recently i found a great free resource at That Resource Site. Its called A Little Lesson on Via Dolorosa - The Road to Sorrows.

It begins all the way back with Adam and Eve.  From there it moves to Mary's yes, and then on through the life of our Lord.

There is beautiful art work, and pages appropriately placed for both journaling and lapbooking.  There are no directions on how to use these extra pages but they are placed where in the reading you would use them. (that is my only issue with this beautiful tool - some of us have enough going on to want to be told 'this is how you do it')

For those of you more interested in a complete lapbook, Faith Folders for Catholics has several for sale that would be appropriate for the Lenten season.

Preparing for Lent

There are so many options out there to help guide our children through the Lenten Season.  Do you have any special traditions in your family?  We have really never found that ONE thing that stuck with us through the years (yet) but it has not been from lack of trying! 

One of my favorites was the last year we were in the farm house.  We have a good size cork board that i covered with paper and we made a lenten calendar following the directions given at These Forty Days.

This is from These Forty Days - i cannot find our picture!

Isn't it beautiful?  We have a little plastic Caterpillar that sat on our board and each day the kids punched a hole in a leaf to show his journey.  The kids love calendars!  So i guess there is one thing that we do every year....i stand corrected! (it has only been these past few years but you gotta start somewhere)

This year we are still not in our own place so i have been thinking of ways to have a calendar without impinging upon the rest of the household.  Lacy, over at Catholic Icing, just blogged about lenten activities including a lapbook. 



This Lapbook comes from Homeschool Goodies

I love the idea - it gets things out of the common area of the house (though really the only area we have alone are our 2 bed rooms) and puts things in the hands of the kids.  One problem though - the big guys might not be as excited about this activity as the little ones ...so the thinking continues.....

A poster might work if i keep it small and replace our daily calendar with it in the school area.  I think i would like to add feast days that fall in the season as well as maybe a weekly activity for the family - whether prayer, fasting, or alms giving.

Growing up we always gave something up - didn't you?.  Once we had kids of our own that was our first thought, but as we grow in our faith as adults we have begun to understand the true reason for the lenten season.  We started looking at not necessarily giving up for Lent so much as giving up for good...a much harder, but truly lenten, plan.  We have tried but failed at many things too.  But it has all been a learning process - and will continue to be so for the rest of our life. 

Our hope is that our children will understand far better than we ever had and that they will carry this knowledge with them once they leave home. 

There are many confusing, though seemingly wonderful, lenten activities to help your children keep track of the season.  One year, long ago, we used a Noah's Ark activity that took us through the entire season.  After that the little kids kept thinking Noah had something to really do with Lent.  It prefigures or typifies the season but it is not what Lent is about.

So what is Lent? 
This is getting a bit long....i think i'll continue that thought in the next post...

Any ideas for a March give away?  I'd like to keep it in line with the season, should it be handmade or a book?  What would you be interested in?  Maybe a school item? .... guess i need to come up with something soon!  Tomorrow is March 1st! (and the birthday of our own little Ladybug!)

Welcome

Hello!  I just wanted to take a moment to welcome all our new followers.  We've had a slight jump due to this month's give away!  (That's ok, from time to time i do it too.) 

So welcome to Michelle Gorman, Lori, the Fru-"gal", Sandy, guessa!, MT, Kristin George, My Spot!, Kama, Kim, and tree ...as well as all of you who stop in from all around the world, you are not unnoticed - i am amazed at the world traveling my little traffic feed does!

So anyway, welcome to our blog.  I hope you will stop in regularly and walk away with even the smallest bit of new information or at least a smile.  This blog has a mind of its own, for sure.  I write about more than i had planned to and on everything from homeschooling to parenting, feast days to our family life in general. 

Please feel free to comment, but also to ask questions.  I am always willing to post answers!
And again, Welcome!

The Feast of Our Lady of Altagracia

Our Lady of Altagracia is the Patroness of the Dominican Republic.  Today is a national holiday for them. 

The Dominicans see the image as exemplifying Our Lady watching over the island and the growth of Christianity there. The feast day is marked by services, all-night vigils, singing, dancing, and festivals in many of the towns.

The painting here is a primitive work of the Spanish school, painted c.1500. The Spanish brothers Alfonso and Antonio Trejo, two of the first European settlers on Santo Domingo, brought the portrait to the island some time prior to 1502, and eventually donated it to the parish church at Higuey.

Legend says that the pious daughter of a rich merchant asked him to bring her a portrait of Our Lady of Altagracia from Santo Domingo, but no one had heard of that title. The merchant, staying overnight at a friend's house in Higuey, described his problem as they sat outdoors after dinner. An old man with a long beard, who just happened to be passing by, pulled a rolled up painting from his bindle, gave it to the merchant, and said, "This is what you are looking for." It was the Virgin of Altagracia. They gave the old man a place to stay for the night, but by dawn he was gone, not to be seen again. The merchant placed the image on their mantle, but it repeatedly disappeared only to be found outside. They finally returned it to the church. (from Patron Saint Index)

It seems the feast day is associated with oranges.  I have been unable to find any information on that other than the children's book A Gift of Gracias.  The author grew up in the Dominican Republic hearing stories about Our Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Altagracia, and from those stories and traditions she wrote this beautiful story.  It is well worth having on hand.

You can find several ideas online to help plan your feast day celebration - one excellent place to start is Catholic Icing.

Also, here is a Novena to Honor Our Lady of Altagracia.  It was translated from Spanish by a mom on the 4Real Forum. It's a beautiful prayer for families.

Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Altagracia

Preparatory Prayer

O Dear Mother, Most Sweet Virgin of Altagracia our Patroness! Look at us here, prostrated in your presence wishing to offer you this novena in testimony of our love, and in thanksgiving for the innumerable favors we have received from your hands. You are our Advocate and, like beggars, we come to present our needs to you. You are our Teacher, and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all the love of our hearts. Receive Dearest Mother, our praise and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.

Supplications

1. - O Sweetest Mother of Altagracia, pure and immaculate since your conception! We beg you to bless our children, preserving their innocence and increasing their love for purity.

(Hail Mary…)

2.- O Sweetest Mother of Altagracia, Admirable Mother, who in your little house of Nazareth, served as a model for Christian mothers and wives. We ask you to bless our homes so that the sanctity and holiness of marriage will flourish in them.

(Hail Mary…)

3. O Sweetest Mother of Altagracia, you who had the joy of receiving in your arms the body of your Most Holy Son who died on the cross for us, we beg you to come to our aid at the hour of our death, so that by dying with the name of Jesus on our lips and hearts, we can fly to the glory of your maternal arms.

Final Prayer

Most Holy Virgin of Altagracia, from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for the continuous blessings your pour down on us. From your hands and from your maternal heart we receive, each day, the sustenance given to us by our Heavenly Father. You are our defender when we are in danger, our aid when we are in need and our hope in the sacrifices proper of our Christian life. Through your Immaculate Heart we want to sing a song of thanksgiving to God for all the blessings he has given us. We promise you, O Mother, gratitude and fidelity. You will reign forever in our homes and our town (our forum?) where we will venerate you as our Lady and Mother by growing in all your virtues. Make us worthy of being called your daughters so that serving God and you on this world, we will obtain the highest grace you bring to us: a holy death that will open to us the gates of heaven. Amen.

----------------------
Enjoy the day! 
Our Lady of Altagracia, Pray for us!

Pictures!

This one is for all those family and friends who are saying "enough already with all the talk ...show us the kids!"

Here you go!

School - we could have just held her up -
check out the shirt!

a little thief at work

doing math!

The State Fair....

Getting ready to leave for the NC State Fair

Funnel Cake - Yum!

yes, it rained....

Bumper cars!

Just a little excited!

Heading home, a bit damp, but happy to have gone.

Cory and I took the 2 older boys back that night.  B. went on a small but good size for a first-timer roller coaster with dad - he left that one a little pale but ready to go again.  Then he convinced me to go on the anti-gravity/no gravity/fly on the wall thing - you spin around, held back by centrifugal force, then you get turned on your side .... i prayed, and smiled (though the 2 on the ground said i looked more like i was grimacing) and waited for it to end.  B. was kind enough to tell me the fair lights were a nice sight while we were on our side, spinning, and the lights were off (the strobe light was on then) - thanks for the update. We also did bumper cars - very fun, and the boys each won a prize at one of the booths. Dad got his fair fudge and we headed back to the house.

On to the beach! 

While Ladybug was busy creating monkeys in her aunt's kitchen the rest of us returned to the maritime museum....

photo op?

Then we headed over to Uncle Joe and Aunt Jen's for a little guy's 1st birthday!

sooo.... what was this again?

painting pumpkins

How old is he now???? He's as big as Bear!

The monkeys!

Some sticky tag - reading the rules

V. tried to play too -
they were easy to catch when they weren't moving!

A little fire ....



Mom says both Grandmas oked it....soooooo

pardon my mess!



Last on the list of pictures comes the All Saints Day shots.

Ladybug and Bear decorated ...
we had limited resources that day.

Saint Nicholas made an appearance

Daniel's lion?  Maybe Noah's?

Saint Micheal the Archangel



Saint Benedict - but only for the picture



Saint Anne

 



Ladybug created this work of art for us.
Pin the Rose on Saint Rose  - and the winner is......

Cat!

 

And then there was
Saint Anthony's Lost and Found Scavenger Hunt

Taking stock and trading

A little sugar....and .....

Just kidding!
(these are bionic lego eyes for Lego League!)

And in case you haven't seen enough of her ....
my kitchen helper!

I am trying to keep you all up to date!  The camera has a mind of its own some days and causes trouble.  Plus there are so many things running around in my head that it takes a while to get to it all!  Hopefully these will hold you over till the next group of pictures are available.





All Our Love!

~the dunphy crew