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One More Year

Jan 17, 2012 | | 29 Comments


“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. 
It’s the life in your years.”

The Churching of Women

Jan 15, 2012 | , , | 16 Comments

There is a tradition associated with baptism and childbirth which is part of the traditional ritual, but has fallen out of practice, at least here in our diocese, that is called the “Churching of Women.”  It is such a beautiful custom and I was able to receive it once again after our baby’s baptism this past Friday!
The Ritual
(English Translation)

The woman will make arrangements with her priest (ideally, the priest should know the women of his parish and make the offer to her). At the appointed time, she will kneel in the Narthex, holding a lighted candle. The priest, wearing a white stole, will bless her with holy water, and say:

V. Our help is in the Name of the Lord.
R. Who made Heaven and Earth.
ANT. She shall receive.

Psalm 23 1

The Earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof; the world, and all they that dwell therein. For He hath founded it upon the seas; and hath prepared it upon the rivers. Who shall ascend into the mountain of the Lord: or who shall stand in His holy place? The innocent in hands and clean of heart, who hath not taken his soul in vain, nor sworn deceitfully to his neighbor. He shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God his Savior. This is the generation of them that seek Him, of them that seek the face of the God of Jacob. Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of glory shall enter in. Who is this King of glory? the Lord Who is strong and mighty: the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your gates, O ye princes, and be ye lifted up, O eternal gates: and the King of glory shall enter in. Who is this King of glory? the Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.

Glory be to the Father.

ANT. She shall receive a blessing from the Lord, and mercy from God her Savior: for this is the generation of them that seek the Lord.

The priest places the end of his stole in the woman’s hand and leads her into the church while saying:

Enter into the temple of God, adore the Son of the blessed Virgin Mary, who gave you fruitfullness of offspring.

Outside the sanctuary, the mother kneels before the Altar and prays, thanking God for her child.

Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. (Now the Our Father is said silently)

V. And lead us not into temptation.
R. But deliver us from evil.
V. Save your handmaid, Lord.
R. Who hopes in Thee, my God.
V. Send her help, Lord, from the sanctuary.
R. And defend her out of Sion.
V. Let not the enemy prevail against her.
R. Nor the son of iniquity approach to hurt her.
V. O Lord, hear my prayer.
R. And let my cry come to Thee.
V. The Lord be with you.
R. And with thy spirit.
V. Let us pray.

Almighty, everlasting God, through the delivery of the blessed Virgin Mary, Thou hast turned into joy the pains of the faithful in childbirth; look mercifully upon this Thy handmaid, coming in gladness to Thy temple to offer up her thanks: and grant that after this life, by the merits and intercession of the same blessed Mary, she may merit to arrive, together with her offspring, at the joys of everlasting happiness. Through Christ our Lord.

R. Amen.

The priest sprinkles the mother with holy water in the shape of a Cross. 

The peace and blessing of God almighty, the Father + and the Son and the Holy Spirit, descend upon you and remain forever.

R. Amen.

“Churching is the woman’s way of giving thanksgiving to God for the birth of her child, and predisposes her, through the priestly blessing that is a part of the ritual, to receive the graces necessary to raise her child in a manner pleasing to God.” ~ Fisheaters

A Baptism on the Traditional Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord

Jan 15, 2012 | , | 16 Comments

This past Friday, on the traditional feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, following A Traditional Latin Mass and First Holy Communions, our little Bud was baptized, according to the Traditional Rite, by one of his uncles, my husband’s youngest brother, who was also the Best Man at our wedding!   Since his Godparents, Sean and Charlotte, were not able to attend the baptism (two of my siblings stood in as proxies), we wrapped him in the beautiful white baptismal blanket they gave him.  It was such a beautiful day filled with blessings!

The Rite of Baptism
Part I: Outside the Church

The priest (wearing a violet stole), sponsors, and the catechumen stand in the narthex of the church, symbolizing that at this point, the candidate is not a member of the Church.

.: The Questioning :.

Priest: N., what do you ask of the Church of God?
Sponsor/Catechumen: Faith.
Priest: What does Faith offer you?
Sponsor/Catechumen: Life everlasting.
Priest: If then you desire to enter into life, keep the commandments. ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.’

.: The Exsufflation :.

The priest then breathes 3 times on the candidate in the form of a Cross, recalling the Spirit (breath, wind, “ruach”) of God.

Priest: Go forth from her, unclean spirit, and give place to the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.

.: The Sign of the Cross :.

The priest now makes the Sign of the Cross with his thumb on the candidate’s forehead and breast.

Priest: Receive the Sign of the Cross both upon your forehead + and also upon your heart +; take to you the faith of the heavenly precepts; and so order your life as to be, from henceforth, the temple of God.
Priest: Let us pray: Mercifully hear our prayers, we beseech Thee, O Lord; and by Thy perpetual assistance keep this Thine elect, N., signed with the sign of the Lord’s cross, so that, preserving this first experience of the greatness of Thy glory, he may deserve, by keeping Thy commandments, to attain to the glory of regeneration. Through Christ our Lord.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen.

.: The Imposition of Hands :. 
The priest places his hands on the candidate’s head.

Priest: Let us pray: Almighty, everlasting God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, look graciously down upon this Thy servant, N., whom Thou hast graciously called unto the beginnings of the faith; drive out from him all blindness of heart; break all the toils of Satan wherewith he was held: open unto him, O Lord, the gate of Thy loving kindness, that, being impressed with the sign of Thy wisdom, he may be free from the foulness of all wicked desires, and in the sweet odor of Thy precepts may joyfully serve Thee in Thy Church, and grow in grace from day to day. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Priest: Through the same Christ our Lord.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen

.: The Imposition of Salt :.
Now the priest puts a little blessed salt in the candidate’s mouth. Salt is the symbol of that wisdom which gives a relish for the sweetness of divine nourishment; preserves, by the teaching of the Gospel, from the corruption of sin, and prevents evil passions from growing in men’s souls. Adult catechumens might be signed on the brow, ears, eyes, nostrils, mouth, breast, and between the shoulders before the imposition of salt. If this procedure is followed, afterwards the candidate will kneel, recite the Our Father several times, and a Cross is made on his forehead, first by the sponsor and then by the priest.

Priest: N., Receive the salt of wisdom; let it be to thee a token of mercy unto everlasting life. May it make your way easy to eternal life.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen.
Priest: Peace be with you.
Sponsor/Catechumen: And with your spirit.
Priest: Let us pray: O God of our fathers, O God the Author of all truth, vouchsafe, we humbly beseech Thee, to look graciously down upon this Thy servant, N., and as he tastes this first nutriment of salt, suffer him no longer to hunger for want of heavenly food, to the end that he may be always fervent in spirit, rejoicing in hope, always serving Thy name. Lead him O Lord, we beseech Thee, to the laver of the new regeneration, that, together with Thy faithful, he may deserve to attain the everlasting rewards of Thy promises. Through Christ our Lord.
Priest: Through the same Christ our Lord.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen

Part II: Admission into the Church Building



.: The Exorcism :.
The priest makes the Sign of the Cross over the candidate three times and says:

Priest: I exorcise thee, unclean spirit, in the name of the Father + and of the Son, + and of the Holy + Ghost, that thou goest out and depart from this servant of God, N., For He commands Thee, accursed one, Who walked upon the sea, and stretched out His right hand to Peter about to sink. Therefore, accursed devil, acknowledge thy sentence, and give honor to the living and true God: give honor to Jesus Christ His Son, and to the Holy Spirit; and depart from this servant of God, N., because God and our Lord Jesus Christ hath vouchsafed to call him to His holy grace and benediction and to the font of Baptism.

.: The Sign of the Cross :.
The priest again makes the Sign of the Cross on the candidate’s forehead.

Priest: And this sign of the holy Cross, which we make upon her forehead, do thou, accursed devil, never dare to violate.
Priest: Through the same Christ our Lord.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen

.: The Imposition of Hands :.
For the final time, the priest lays his hand on the candidate’s head.

Priest: Let us pray: O Holy Lord, Father Almighty, Eternal God, Author of light and truth, I implore Thine everlasting and most just goodness upon this Thy servant N., that Thou wouldst vouchsafe to enlighten him with the light of Thy wisdom: cleanse him and sanctify him, give unto him true knowledge; that, being made worthy of the grace of Thy Baptism, he may hold firm hope, right counsel and holy doctrine.
Priest:Through Christ our Lord.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen.

.: Admission into the Church Building :.
The priest lays the end of his stole on the candidate as a symbol of his priestly authority, and admits him into the church building, which is the symbol of the Church of Christ. If the catechumen is an adult and was anointed in Part I above, he may be asked to lie prostrate before the Altar in adoration of Christ before this next step.

Priest: N., enter thou into the temple of God, that thou mayest have part with Christ unto life everlasting.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen.

.: The Credo and Pater :.

Sponsor/Catechumen: I believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried. He descended into Hell. On the third day, He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence shall He come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy Catholic Church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins; the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

Sponsor/Catechumen: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation: but deliver us from evil. Amen.

Part III: In the Nave of the Church
.: The Solemn Exorcism :.

Priest: I exorcise thee, every unclean spirit, in the name of God the Father + Almighty, in the name of Jesus + Christ, His Son, our Lord and Judge, and in the power of the Holy + Spirit, that thou be depart from this creature of God N, which our Lord hath deigned to call unto His holy temple, that it may be made the temple of the living God, and that the Holy Spirit may dwell therein. Through the same Christ our Lord, who shall come to judge the living and the dead, and the world by fire.

.: The Ephpheta :.
The priest takes a little spittle and touches the ears and nostrils of the candidate with it. For health reasons, the use of spittle may be omitted. This rite comes from Mark 7:33-35, when Jesus healed the deaf-mute: “And taking him from the multitude apart, he put his fingers into his ears: and spitting, he touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, he groaned and said to him: Ephpheta, which is, Be thou opened. And immediately his ears were opened and the string of his tongue was loosed and he spoke right.”

Priest: Ephpheta, that is to say, Be opened, for an odour of sweetness. Be thou, devil, begone; for the judgement of God shall draw near.

.: The Renunciation of Satan :.

Priest: Do you renounce Satan?
Sponsor/Catechumen: I do renounce him.
Priest: And all of his works?
Sponsor/Catechumen: I do renounce him.
Priest: And all his pomps?
Sponsor/Catechumen: I do renounce him.

.: The Anointing :.
The priest annoints the candidate with the oil of catechumens on the heart and between the shoulders in the form of a Cross, saying:

Priest: I annoint you + with the oil of salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord, that you may have everlasting life.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen.

Part IV: At the Font


The priest removes his violet stole and puts on a white one.

.: The Profession of Faith :.

Priest: N., do you believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth?
Sponsor/Catechumen: I do believe.
Priest: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son our Lord, Who was born and Who suffered?
Sponsor/Catechumen: I do believe.
Priest: Do you believe in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting?
Sponsor/Catechumen: I do believe.

.: Baptism (Matter and Form of the Sacrament) :.
If the one to be baptized is a baby, the godparents (or proxies) take him to the font (the godmother holds him in her arms, the godfather touches the baby’s shoulder with his right hand); if he is an adult, the sponsor puts his right hand on the shoulder of the one to be baptized.

Priest: N., will you be baptized?
Sponsor/Catechumen: I will.

The priest pours water over the head of the candidate three times, once after each mention of the Divine Persons. The water he uses will have been consecrated during the Easter Vigil or on the Eve of the Pentecost. As he pours the water, the priest says these words (or the words of a conditional Baptism):

Priest: I baptize you in the name of the Father + and of the Son + and of the Holy + Ghost.

.: The Annointing with Chrism :.

Priest: May the Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath regenerated thee by water and the Holy Ghost, and who hath given thee the remission of all thy sins, may He Himself + anoint thee with the Chrism of Salvation, in the same Christ Jesus our Lord, unto life eternal.
Sponsor/Catechumen: Amen.
Priest: Peace be with you.
Sponsor/Catechumen: And with your spirit.

.: The White Linen Cloth :.
This priest takes a white linen cloth — symbolizing the purity of a soul cleansed from all sin, and a relic of the days when the newly baptized wore white albs for 8 days — and places it on the head of the candidate.

Priest: Receive this white garment, which mayest thou carry without stain before the judgment seat of our Lord Jesus Christ, that thou mayest have life everlasting.

.: The Lighted Candle :.
The priest gives the candidate or the sponsor a lighted candle.

Priest: Receive this burning light, and keep thy Baptism so as to be without blame: keep the commandments of God, that when the Lord shall come to the nuptials, thou mayest meet Him together with all the Saints in the heavenly court, and mayest have eternal life and live for ever and ever.

.: Last Words of Good Will :.

Priest: N., go in peace and the Lord be with you. Amen.

Our Newly Baptized Baby

Deo Gratias!

A Traditional Latin Mass and First Holy Communions

Jan 15, 2012 | , | 9 Comments

On Friday, January 13th, the traditional feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, our two oldest daughters received their First Holy Communions in the Extraordinary form of the Mass. It was such a beautiful Mass, offered by their Uncle, and served by their father and oldest brother.

The Beauty and Splendor of the Ancient Liturgy. The Sung Latin Mass is celebrated with all the solemnity of Gregorian chant, incense, and ceremonial.

Pie pellicane, Iesu Domine,
Me immundum munda tuo sanguine.
Cuius una stilla salvum facere
Totum mundum quit ab omni scelere.

My First Holy Communion!

“May this holy Mass keep all stain of sin from my soul. May It keep me close to Your Sacred Heart, O Jesus, as long as I live. May It bind me to You forever in Heaven.”

“May this Holy Sacrifice which I have offered please Thee O Lord.  May it bring Thy blessing upon me, and upon all for whom I have offered it, through the merits of Christ, Our Lord.  Amen.”

Will you pray for me? :: A First Holy Communion Spiritual Bouquet Keepsake Book

Jan 13, 2012 | , | 11 Comments

Earlier this week, when I mentioned that the girls had been given permission to make their First Holy Communions this Friday, an anonymous visitor shared an idea in the comment box that I loved and wanted to try and make for our girls:

“We have made both a small book and also (for a different girl) written on an artists canvas the girls name with “Will you pray for me?” and they got to take it people at their First Holy Communions/parties and people would write what prayers they promised the child. Our daughter loved asking for prayers and our guests loved praying for them. Congratulations!”

I decided to make the books similar to the “Wisdom of the Saints” Journals I had come up this past year as one of our Little Flower Crafts. I even happened to have a few extra blank books and laminating sheets all ready to go!

Supplies:

Blank Book (I purchased these from Rainbow Resource)
First Holy Communion Image (I choose one from a First Holy Communion Holy Card.  Another option would be to have the child color a First Holy Communion Coloring Page.)
Glue Stick
Self-Adhesive Laminating Sheets

Directions:

Re-Size First Communion Image or Coloring Page to fit on the front of your blank book or notebook. Add “Will you pray for me?” to the top of the page and “On the Occasion of My First Holy Communion” to the bottom.   (Originally I was going to keep the type green, but the girls asked for pink and purple!)  Have each girl color the image and/or glue to the front cover of their book.

Trim laminating sheet to 1/4-1/2″ past each side of the book, cutting the two outside corners at an angle, so that you can wrap it around the edges to secure. (I was able to cut the 9×12 sheets in half, using one sheet for two books.)

While I was at it, I also created a Boy version as well.  You can find all of the documents I created over at Scribd:

(also in Pink, Purple and Green)

On the First Inside Page I wrote my daughter’s full name and the date of her First Holy Communion, followed by the following prayer:

Corpus Dómini nostri Jesu Christi custódiat ánimam tuam in vitam æternam. Amen.
May the Body of Our Lord Jesus Christ preserve your soul unto life everlasting. Amen.

Links for January :: Month Dedicated to the Most Holy Name of Jesus

Jan 12, 2012 | | 2 Comments

January 1st (8th Day of Christmas) ~ Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God

January 3rd (10th Day of Christmas) ~ Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus

January 4th (11th Day of Christmas) ~ St. Elizabeth Ann Seton 

January 5th (12th Day of Christmas) ~ Twelfth Night
January 6th ~ Feast of the Epiphany

January 13th (Trad.) / The Sunday following the Feast of the Epiphany (New) ~ Feast of the Baptism of the Lord 

January 14th ~ Feast of St. Felix

January 17th ~ Feast of St. Anthony the Abbot

January 21st ~ Feast of St. Agnes

January 21st ~ Feast of Our Lady of Altagracia

January 25th ~ Conversion of St. Paul

January 28th ~ Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas

January 31st ~ Feast of St. John Bosco

Catholic Cuisine:  Recipes for January ~ Month Dedicated to the Most Holy Name of Jesus
Book List: Feasts & Seasons :: Our January Book Basket

Christmas Day in the Morning

Jan 12, 2012 | , | 18 Comments

I just love Christmas morning, even more now than I did as a child.  Seeing our children’s joy and excitement as they opened each gift, or watched their siblings open theirs, was so much fun!  Every year, Hubby and I choose three gifts for each of our children, reminding them that Christ was also given three gifts.   This year, it was a little bit harder than usual, since some of the gifts were an assortment of clothing items and some were a combination of toys.   I ended up wrapping some items together so they still had “three” gifts each.

~ Discovering the new Train/Activity Table ~

We’ve been looking for a Train/Activity Table for awhile now and finally found the perfect one for our family!  I loved that it was black and solid wood.   I purchased ours from Baby Age, but it doesn’t look like it is available on their website any longer.   From the reviews it was compared to a Pottery Barn table at a MUCH better price.   It has been a hit! 

~ Gifts for Captain ~

Box of Clothing including a new Robe, Hockey Sweatshirt, Shirt and Socks

~ Gifts for Rascal ~ 
His very own Hockey Skates
Box of Clothing, including Hockey shirt, Hockey Sweatshirt and a new Robe
Box of Toys including the LEGO Architecture White House (to use for History this year!), Playmobil Roman Chariot and the Treasure Transporter with Rowboat

~ Gifts for the Twinkle Toes ~

New Dollhouse to share with her sister
Box of Clothing, including a new Robe, warm clothes and “Twinkle Toes” shirt

~ Gifts for Chiquita ~
New Dollhouse to share with her sister
Box of Clothing including new Robe and warm clothes

~ Gifts for Snuggles ~
The train table was basically ordered with Snuggles in mind, but we also wrapped another of the Hockey Sets for him to unwrap.  He also received a box with new shoes, his “very own!” hockey shirt, and a Toy Story Thermos for all those extra cold mornings at The Rink watching his older brothers’ Hockey games. 
His 3rd gift was a box filled with Die Cast Cars, including a talking Finn.   He later unwrapped even more cars from his Grandparents and couldn’t have been happier! 

~ Gifts for Rose ~
Another new doll, the Corolle Mon Premier Calin 12″ Baby Doll, which she LOVED immediately, unlike the doll from her birthday (which has since grown on her).  She ran to get her birthday stroller to give them both a ride!

~ Gifts for Bud ~
Bud’s gifts consisted of Sophie the Giraffe Teether, a Cloud b Twilight Turtle Constellation Night Light, and some new sleepers.

~ Stocking Stuffers ~
I can’t believe that I didn’t get a picture of the baby with his stocking!  I also forgot about a whole little box of stocking stuffers that I just found in my closet… No wonder I had such a hard time filling the stockings on Christmas Eve!  At least I have a jump start on their Easter Baskets now.  😉 

Some of the favorite stocking stuffers that did make it into the stockings, in addition to the Mini American Dolls and Bonnet, included Living Adventures from American History CD’s, Curse of the Coins, new Stockmar Modeling Beeswax, The Strange Intruder, and the Church Windows Card Game. 

Grandma and Grandpa sent all sorts of fun and thoughtful gifts to the kids, but the favorites were some of the new books that they sent.   I love that my mother-in-law runs a Catholic bookstore at her church!   I was amazed that with all the great books she sent, we didn’t have even one of them already.  The kids have been enjoying all of them! 

P.S.  Sorry for all the long, picture heavy, posts today!  I’ve been working on all of these posts a little at a time over the past weeks and just had to get them out of my drafts folder so I wouldn’t feel quite so behind.  Hope you don’t mind, but I didn’t want to end up with such a huge gap in this online “scrapbook” for my family!  🙂 

An Afternoon with Auntie

Jan 12, 2012 | , , | 2 Comments

Just before Christmas, on December 23rd, my sister JoAnn came over to watch the kids while Hubby and I took our (4 day old) baby to see the pediatrician.   JoAnn had just arrived home from spending a semester in Rome (!!!) and our kids were so excited to get to spend a little time with her.

In addition to the “photo shoot” 😉 that took place while we were gone, she also made some Candy Cane Dots with the kids…

… and then spent a little time getting to know her newest nephew once we arrived home.

 

Twinkle Toes ended up making some more Dots the next morning, while I made one batch of Persimmon Cookies for Christmas.   (Which was pretty much the extent of our Christmas baking this year!)

Celebrating Two Years… Already!

Jan 12, 2012 | , | 9 Comments

On December 15th our little Rose turned two years old!   I had all sorts of fun theme ideas that I wanted to do for her birthday, but with being full term with Bud I had to keep it simple.  This year our “theme” revolved around searching for the perfect Christmas tree! 😉   With our new little guy arriving on the 19th I never did have a chance to post pictures, but before too much more time goes by I wanted to go back and share some pictures from her special day.

The birthday girl in her new birthday dress and jacket.   Rose is very particular over what she will wear and loved her old white jacket that she had just outgrown.  She was very excited about her pretty new jacket!

Saying “Good Morning” to the cat, and making sure her doll said “hello” too!

~ Birthday Fun ~

Out to breakfast at Marie Calendar’s! 



~ Birthday Cake ~


For some reason Rose refused to blow out her candles.   When it came time, she pointed to Snuggles and said “HE!!!”  Snuggles was more than happy to help her out.  


~ Birthday Gifts ~ 


A Fun Gift from Sweet Friends, which was a hit with ALL the girls!

Birthday Cards
A New Stroller for her Dollies

A Sweet New Doll… which Rose HATED!  Actually she opened the box and said “Aw!  Dolly!” picked up the doll, gave it a kiss, and feeling the different (aka: fabric) skin threw it right back in the box!  
(I had purchased this doll on clearance over the summer and was thankful I hadn’t paid full price.  I immediately ordered her another doll for Christmas, that I knew for sure she would love!)
She wouldn’t touch it again the whole evening, though she did eventually warm up to the doll. 

Overall, despite my lack of energy and planning, Rose had a great birthday.  Perhaps next year I will finally be able to pull off a fun theme for her… if I start planning now! 😉


Our Family

Sean & Jessica, Captain-25, Ranger-23, Twinkle Toes-22, Chiquita-20, Snuggles-18, Rose-15, Bud-13, Grace-8 and Joy-6 (blog nicknames)

A Little About Me

Hi! I'm Jessica, a Roman Catholic wife and home educating mother to our nine children. I was home educated myself, along with my eleven younger siblings. I have a special devotion to St. Therese, through whom I have been given much help and many blessings--the beautiful "Shower of Roses" that she has sent my way! Here I will record a few of the blessings I treasure. Please remember that what you see here is just a little glimpse at our lives, so please say a prayer for us, as we continue to strive for holiness.

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Prayer of Mothers

Father in heaven, grant me the grace to appreciate the dignity which you have conferred on me. Let me realize that not even the Angels have been blessed with such a privilege—to share in your creative miracle and bring new Saints to heaven. Make me a good mother to all my children after the example of Mary, the Mother of your Son. Through the intercession of Jesus and Mary I ask your continued blessings on my family. Let us all be dedicated to your service on earth and attain the eternal happiness of your kingdom in heaven. Amen.


Our Family

Sean & Jessica, Captain-25, Ranger-23, Twinkle Toes-22, Chiquita-20, Snuggles-18, Rose-15, Bud-13, Grace-8 and Joy-6 (blog nicknames)

A Little About Me

Hi! I'm Jessica, a Roman Catholic wife and home educating mother to our nine children. I was home educated myself, along with my eleven younger siblings. I have a special devotion to St. Therese, through whom I have been given much help and many blessings--the beautiful "Shower of Roses" that she has sent my way! Here I will record a few of the blessings I treasure. Please remember that what you see here is just a little glimpse at our lives, so please say a prayer for us, as we continue to strive for holiness.

My Other Blog: Catholic Cuisine

Please Visit My Sponsors…

This Week's Popular Posts

Shower of Roses Affiliate Links

All About Spelling
All About Reading
All About Reading Giveaways
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Our Advent & Christmas Books

Shower of Roses Gift Guides

Looking for Something?

looking-back

  • ▼2026 (1)
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Shower of Roses Alphabet of Saints

A Papal Unit Study & Lap Book

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