{this moment}
Blueberry Math
We are all working on finishing our school week strong so we can prepare for Thanksgiving over the weekend. We are also praying for mild weather (please no snow storms next Tuesday!) in Montana so that our college kids will be able to make the long drive home next week!
On the Feast of Saint Gertrude
The Prayer of Saint Gertrude the Great for the Souls in Purgatory
Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the masses said throughout the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory, for sinners everywhere, for sinners in the universal church, those in my own home and within my family. Amen.
I love seeing our children’s Holy Souls calendars around our home every November and reading through their lists of who they have been praying for each day. Some they remember, others they know from stories or the funeral holy cards we have kept over the years. ♥
Grandma and Grandpa Gordon always start off the month (we miss them so much) followed by Great Grandparents and the souls of other departed family & friends.
Oliver Wallace (composer and conductor who contributed music to over 150 Disney Productions) and his daughter Mary Ritch (one of our neighbors in Oregon) are often included – the children remember the stories Mary would tell them when she’d stop to visit with them at the foot of our driveway while waking her dog each day. ♪
So many new names too… Including those of four of our older children’s childhood friends.
Thirty days isn’t going to be nearly enough… #praywithoutceasing
Requiem æternam dona ei, Domine;
Et lux perpetua luceat ei.
Requiescat in pace. Amen.
(You can find our free printable November Calendar and Ora Pro Nobis Candy Boxes here.)
The Liturgical Year Calendar: Christmas Cycle
My absolute favorite new resource for incorporating the Liturgical Year in our home the past couple years has been the Liturgy of the Home Calendars!
New Christmas Books for the Feast of St. Nicholas {and a St. Nicholas Giveaway!}
The feast of St. Nicholas is coming up fast! On December 6th our children always wake up to find that the letters they wrote to the Holy Child and/or St. Nicholas have been taken and their (sometimes new/replaced) slippers have been filled with little treats, oranges, chocolate gold coins, candy canes, and often times a note from St. Nicholas.
St. Nick might also bring her this special surprise that I received as a “free gift with purchase” one year and have been saving to give her at some point.
“No gift is too small for Jesus when it is given with humility and love.
Joel is seven years old and is the son of the Kings’ stableman. With his Dad, he is traveling with the Magi as they follow the star to Bethlehem, to meet the newborn King. All of them are bringing very special gifts, such as gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But Joel is the only one in the caravan who isn’t carrying a gift for the new King. Since he knows how to whittle wood, Joel decides to carve a little camel for the baby. Soon he discovers that his humble gift is more special than all the others.”
.: For Grace – Age 4 :.
The Gifts of the Animals: A Christmas Tale
The gentle beasts of sky and earth
prepare their stable for Christ’s birth.
With a beautiful narrative by author and poet Carole Gerber and stunning and intricate art by renowned Japanese artist Yumi Shimokawara comes one of the most anticipated Christmas gift books ever published. The Gift of the Animals shares the miraculous offerings the humble animals in the manger gave to the baby Jesus.
The birds on the roof of the lowly shed
prepare a pillow for His head,
with feathers pulled from downy breasts . . .
mice carry them to where He’ll rest.
“Come!” drummed a woodpecker one cold, wintry day. “A baby is coming. There’s work to be done!”
One by one, from field and forest, the animals make their way to a barn. The cow has sweet-smelling hay to offer the baby. The bluebird has the gift of song. And a lamb has soft, cozy wool. But the shy little fox has nothing to offer . . . or so he thinks. With its gentle text and warm, expressive illustrations, this irresistible take on the Nativity story invites even the youngest child to discover the truest gifts of the Christmas season: the ones that come from the heart.
Once again this year I will be hosting FOUR Advent and Christmas themed giveaways! Here is the first giveaway in preparation for the feast of St. Nicholas:
Prize #1 – Set of Five Cookie Stamps with Recipe Booklet
Includes:
Saint Rudolph and the Reindeer
The Forgotten Christmas Saint: Saint Anastasia
Animals of God Volume 1
Saint Cloud of Gaul: The Prince Who Traded Kingdoms
sponsored by author Susan Peek (value $50.00)
And here is the link to my original St. Nicholas Chocolate Coins and the updated version I created a couple years ago!
For additional Christmas book suggestions you can find some of our lists in the archives:
Saint Nicholas & the Nine Gold Coins {Beautiful book!}
Christmas Mosaic: A Review & Featured Book List
35 Favorite Christmas Picture Books for Children
Feasts & Seasons :: Advent & Christmas Collection
New Christmas Books for the Feast of St. Nicholas:
2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Stacks of Books on Christmas Morning or Epiphany:
2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Celebrating Martinmas
“Martin was a fine soldier. He learned to throw the javelin straight and true, to ride and use his sword expertly. Although he hated to shed blood, he was a brave warrior in battle. After three years, the young Hungarian was made leader of the calvary.
The Roman army marched into Gaul, today called France, and captured the city of Paris. Martin’s division was sent from place to place to enforce the law. One day the troops were assigned to Amiens. It was bitter cold. As the infantry entered the city gates, they passed a miserable half-naked beggar crouched in the shelter of the wall.
“Pity a poor beggar!” he pleaded. “In God’s name, help me!” The old man held out his cup to the soldiers, but they thought only of the food and fires in the inns of Amiens and passed him without a glance.
When all the infantrymen had passed through the gates, Martin came riding up on a fine horse. He was wearing armor, and over it a warm red cloak. The young officer’s purse was empty, but he could not pass the pauper. He drew his cloak from his shoulders, and parted it in the middle with his sword. Half he wrapped around the beggar, the other half he fastened again to his collar.
That night Martin had a dream. He saw Christ, seated on His throne in heaven, wearing the other half of his mantle. The same voice that begged mercy outside the gates of Amiens filled his dark tent: “Inasmuch as you have done it to the least of these, you have done it unto me.”
In the morning, with the dream still in his thoughts, Martin went to be baptized.”
Some of us are still fighting colds, so we weren’t able to make it to Mass, but we woke up to snow falling for the first time this winter and had a cozy day at home. Happy Martinmas! 🕯
St. Joan of Arc’s 2021 All Saints Party
Last Sunday evening, October 31st, our parish hosted it’s Annual All Saints & Octoberfest Party. The schedule was similar to last year’s complete with singing the Litany of the Saints in the church, delicious food, saintly games including the All Saints Guessing Jars we made to bring, Saint-O-Lantern and Saint Costume contests, silent auction/fundraisers, and bonfire.
You can find our Saint-O-Lantern’s from this year here and Saint Costumes here. It was a very cold and windy evening, and we desperately need a larger hall with how fast our parish community is growing, but it was a successful and fun celebration. Hope you enjoy the pictures!
Saint-O-Lanterns
This past Saturday we carved our annual Saint-O-Lanterns! We almost didn’t do it this year (we missed getting to the pumpkin patch before they closed for the season and I hadn’t purchase any pumpkins) but on Friday night I went out grocery shopping and was able to get some carving pumpkins at Trader Joe’s. I’m glad we made the effort. It’s always messy and stressful so much fun!
Celebrating the Saints :: Our 2021 Costumes
Almighty and everlasting God, Who hast enabled us to honor in one solemn feast the merits of all Thy Saints: we beseech Thee, that, with so many praying for us, Thou wouldst pour forth on us the abundance of Thy mercy for which we long.
St. Kateri Tekakwitha
St. Martin of Tours
St. Margaret of Scotland
St. Olaf
St. Germaine Cousin
St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Happy Feast of All Saints!
Saints Around the World
In honor of the saints who we glorify this All Saints Day, Saints Around the World, written by Meg Hunter-Kilmer and illustrated by Lindsey Sanders, is a beautiful blend of saints, known worldwide, and stories of whom I hadn’t heard of. These gripping tales of martyrs, kings and queens, laymen and laywomen, warriors, and the religious, show both their virtues and their flaws, which they used to get even closer to Christ. This book helps children understand that not a single saint was born a saint and it keeps them from saying, “There’s no way I can be like him!” but inspires them to say, “this person was so much like me! I’m going to be just like him when I’m older.”
All ye Holy Angels and Saints, Pray for Us!
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